Miyuki Gaiden: The Sword of Kusanagi
by nstar93
Summary: It's been a year since Sasuke left Konoha but it's been six months since Miyuki last saw Sasuke. She can only replay their last moments together in her dreams and it's getting old. When Naruto arrives in her village and is offered a mission to deliver a scroll, Miyuki doesn't hesitate to join him but their new mission might lead to a reunion the two aren't ready for...
1. Prologue: More than Just a Dream

** I bring you all the next installment in Miyuki's journey! Enjoy! Don't forget to fave/rate/comment! And also don't forget to check out my other story: Naruto:Untold!**

 **Prologue: More Than Just a Dream**

"You never tell me how your training is going."

"That's because I don't come here to talk about it." He breathed, lowering his head so that his lips could brush against my earlobe. "I come here to forget it."

"Th-that terrible, huh?"

He chuckled and my heart skipped a beat. It was so rich and warm, so genuine and true that I snuggled closer to him and ended up pressing a light kiss to his hair. His hands slid around my waist and he pulled me even closer to him just as I managed a quick breath through my gasp.

"Sasuke…I breathed.

"Yes?" He responded, his lips trailing soft kisses down the side of my neck.

"Wh-wh-wh-" I couldn't even finish my sentence, couldn't even form actual words because his lips were making me lose my train of thought. His lips lingered on my collarbone and his tongue slid out to taste my skin and that alone made my whole body shiver.

"Wa-wait." I managed, proud that I had at least found a word even if it wasn't the right one. He hesitated for a moment but just a moment. His breaths washed over my skin, thick and heavy and I could practically smell his desire.

How long had it been? How many weeks had it been since we had seen each other? We had been making a game of it, the two of us seeming to meet at random when in reality he was planning each meeting. We had relied on signals, small notes attached to small animals or small words etched into tree barks or on tiny wrappers. It was all about being in the right place at the right time.

It was dangerous, stupid even. The last thing I should have been doing was consorting with a rogue ninja, lying to everyone, grieving for the Sasuke we had all lost when in reality I had been seeing every month ever since his departure. I felt like a two-faced liar but it had to be this way. This was the only way that we could be together even if it was fleeting. I could only imagine Megumi-sensei's expression, imagine her lectures and of course the disappointment on Sakura's face.

He trailed more kisses, this time leading onto my chest and I forgot what it felt like to breathe. My nails dug into the flesh on his back and I gritted my teeth together, my heart racing so quickly in my chest, I wouldn't be surprised if he could hear it. I glanced down at him and caught the smirk on his lips, knowing that even if he couldn't hear it, he could sense it and that was even worse.

He placed a kiss near my heart, and I flinched instantly thinking back to the night my entire family had been killed. The Obanji clan massacre, blood splattered on the walls, bodies littering the halls, and far away expressions on their haunting faces. Then, there were the cruel expressions of my sister and brother, the oldest siblings, blood dripping from their weapons as sickening grins spread across their lips. I remembered the feeling of the blade piercing clean through my skin and gasped just as he pulled his lips away from the scar, barely visible to the naked eye, but always visible to me.

"Are you alright?"

I looked down at him, struggling to get my breathing under control. I managed a light laugh and ran my fingers through his hair, forcing a nod.

"I'm fine…sorry."

He studied me, his eyes searching mine and he pulled away, moving to the side, one of his arms drawing circles on my stomach, the other holding his head up. He stared down at me, the intensity of his stare making me blush until I started to look away and his hand stopped me, catching my chin before gently turning me back toward him.

"Don't." He said.

My blush deepened. "Wh-why do you always do that?"

"Do what?" He asked, his voice low, making my insides quiver all over again.

"Wh-why do you always…" I lifted a hand and traced it over my scar. He had told me countless times that he couldn't see it and there were days where even I found it hard to locate. But I could always feel it, the subtle curve of my risen skin. I wasn't exactly self-conscious about it, but feeling someone else against it just brought back too many memories.

"You really want to know?"

I blinked up at him, knowing that the innocent route wouldn't work when it came to him. Over the past few months, he had learned to read me like a book. He was quick to call out any of my moods, quick to notice my true feelings. I couldn't hide anything from him anymore and he always knew what I was thinking even when the idea hadn't fully formed in my head. As for him, he was still a mystery to me but he was gentler now that we had what felt like our own private world, our little big secret. Behind closed doors it was just us and no one else. We were all that mattered.

"Y-yes." I managed quietly.

He smirked and his hand moved away from my chin, sliding down my side, leaving behind a trail of goosebumps.

"I know it bothers you." Sasuke said. "Not to the point where you wish it was gone, but just that it takes you somewhere other than here."

I stared at him.

"You've been going there more than usual lately…" His hand stopped at my hip and he gripped it almost possessively. His eyes followed down the length of my neck and ended just at my scar and I felt the familiar blush already shining on my face reach a whole new level.

"I've just been thinking a lot." I said and lifted a hand to cover the scar. "It's nothing really."

"You can tell me."

"There's nothing really to talk about." I said and rolled to the side so he couldn't see my face. I covered my body as I did so and I could feel him behind me and his hand had found a new home atop my other hip. He didn't say anything more and for a few passing minutes, we were completely silent.

"I should get going." He said before pressing a kiss to my shoulder. I felt him climb out of the bed just as I felt a sharp pang ring through my chest. I gripped the covers as I heard him start to get dressed behind me. I bit my bottom lip as the pain in my chest rose and at the last second, when I couldn't stand it anymore, I sat up and looked back at him.

He was pulling on his shirt and when he was done he looked back at me, his eyes unreadable.

"Not yet." I said, hugging the sheets to my chest. I could already feel it, the lump forming in my throat, the tears beginning to form in my eyes.

He stared down at me and bent over, pressing his forehead against mine, his eyes staring right into my soul. I blinked up at him, my lips quivering.

"I have to go." He said. "I'm going to be late."

He pushed away and was turning, reaching for his weapons case.

"A few more minutes. Please, Sasuke. I haven't seen you in so long."

To that he chuckled as he adjusted his weapons holster. "We'll see each other again, in a few weeks."

"Sasuke."

"Miyuki."

I folded my arms. "You can afford to be late."

He looked at me. "They'll fly by…like they always do."

"I don't like this."

"There's no other option…unless…"

"Unless what?" I asked, suddenly eager to learn that there would be another way that we could see each other.

"Unless we stop this right now." Sasuke finished and he looked at me, his eyes gauging my reaction.

My own eyes were wide and I was shocked. End it all? End what we had been doing for the past three months just like that? I placed a hand over my chest. I wouldn't be able to survive. Our moments together, even though they were hidden away, a secret meeting, it was my only way of checking up on him, of making sure that he was okay.

That night when he left Konoha, when he had leaned close to my ear, he had rattled off a random location in the Land of Rice and it had taken me a few weeks to realize what he had been suggesting and I had never looked back. The thought of not having that, of not being able to see him or even feel him was beyond unreasonable. It was unfair to even voice.

"N-no! I don't want that!" I said.

"Then I have to go." Sasuke said and bent down to press a chaste kiss to my forehead. "I'll send you the next location."

"Sas—"

He left the room and shut the door gently behind him. I didn't even hear his footsteps start down the hall but I knew why. All of the lands were on high alert for him. All the places we went to were secluded, low profile but it never mattered because he was just as low profiled, his head always low. He was always sneaking around in the shadows, surprising me. He didn't want to get caught but more than that he never wanted me to get in trouble either.

He was protecting me and I was always so desperate to keep him longer, so emotional I wouldn't be surprised if one day we would get caught because I'd be screaming for him to stay. I hugged myself knowing that I had to pull myself together. Just the same way Sasuke didn't want to raise suspicions with Orochimaru, I couldn't afford to raise suspicions with my own village especially my team.

I pushed the covers away and rose from the bed, only to catch my reflection in the mirror. My hair was disheveled and came down in gentle waves. I smoothed it out over my shoulder and looked deep into my eyes as my hand lifted, sliding across the skin on my chest until I felt the scar beneath my fingertips.

"How long can you keep doing this?" I asked my reflection, my stomach tightening in response. The sad truth was that I knew the answer but I just couldn't bring myself to face it.


	2. Chapter 1: Reunion!

**Chapter 1: Reunion!**

"Sasuke!" I woke with a start, feeling the ghost of his lips on mine and the feeling of his hands on my skin. But, he was nowhere to be seen and I was in my apartment, with a racing heart and the final image of his smirking lips in my head.

I groaned and threw myself back on the bed. This had to stop. It had been six months, going on seven since I had last seen him and I couldn't get him out of my head. I swore I could see Sasuke all around, walking past me in the streets, snaking behind buildings, or even standing over me while I slept. He was everywhere and yet nowhere at the same time and it was maddening.

"This is so ridiculous." I groaned again before sitting up in my bed and glancing at the clock on my bedside.

One year had passed. A whole year filled with monthly romantic rendezvous and it had been wonderful, not just because I got to see him but because it was just something the two of us shared. In a lot of ways, I knew it was wrong. I knew sneaking around with a rogue ninja could get me in a lot of trouble not just with Megumi-sensei and the others but with my village as well. But, I had pushed that all to the back of my mind and had kept going and going, the consequences and all sorts of worst case scenarios playing over and over in my head. Then six months ago, it had stopped and now I didn't know what to do with myself. Six months since our last meeting and I was struggling to find a clue everywhere I went, struggling to keep myself sane and from spilling the beans.

I got dressed, pulling on my off the shoulder midnight blue bodysuit with the zipper that started at the center of my chest and wrapped around to my side. I pulled on my black shorts, and sandals. I fastened my kunai holster on my right thigh before fastening my weapons pouch onto my hip. I ran my fingers through my hair and managed to brush it all to the side, putting a few hidden pins in place to keep it from flying away. I fastened my forehead protector around my neck and looked at the reflection in the mirror.

The girl staring back at me seemed composed, but definitely more composed than I felt inside. I was about to groan again when someone started banging on my door. I jumped at the sound and then rolled my eyes when I heard Kyoske's frantic voice on the other side.

"Miyuki! Hurry up! We're late! We're late!" Kyoske shouted as he banged on the door.

I opened the door and stepped aside as Kyoske nearly toppled inside. I could see Hideki leaning on the wall across from the door and he was shaking his head at Kyoske.

"Bout time you woke up." Kyoske said.

"Morning to you too." I said.

I loved both of my teammates but I would be lying if I said I wasn't closer to Kyoske than Hideki. Together we had been freed from Orochimaru's hide out by our beloved sensei Megumi, but before that, I remembered Kyoske the most. He was loud, arrogant at times and crass but he was like an older brother to me and he treated me like a little sister. He had shaggy brown hair and intense green eyes. He had grown in the past year and though that was nothing new because everyone towered over me no matter what, he looked a little manly as a result. He still wore his infamous gray shorts but this time he had the Chunin vest on him, with his sword fastened to his back. Other than the green vest, Kyoske had stopped carrying around smaller weapons like kunai and shuriken and instead carried around a ton of summoning rolls in his weapons pouch so that he didn't have to prick himself whenever he reached into his bag of "complete kickass awesomeness."

As for Hideki, he was still the same except his glasses were more like goggles now because he had created infrared specs and magnified vision. He still wore the same clothes too, the same Chunin vest with black pants and blue sandals. His hair was wavy too though more controlled than Kyoske's mane. He also had arm protectors on from his elbows to his wrists.

"You ready?" Kyoske grinned.

"It's just training, Kyoske." I said as I followed him out of my apartment.

Kyoske waved a hand through the air. "It's more than training! It's a true testament to our strength. Us versus those pipsqueaks in the Academy."

"Who we have to go easy on because they're like 7." Hideki reminded him.

"No they come at us with the intent to kill." Kyoske said.

"Not exactly." I sighed.

We had been asked by our local Academy to come in and show the students what shinobi in our neck of the woods were capable of. There were two parts, the one where we just showed our overall prowess and the one where we went head to head with the students. It wasn't supposed to be deadly but a few bruises and scrapes were expected. The training went through all levels at the school so we would be fighting all ages. It was a reminder of how things in the Academy used to be back when Zabuza was around except it wasn't as deadly.

"You're impossible." Hideki sighed as he adjusted his goggles.

Kyoske snickered. "You know you're just as excited to test out those fancy glasses of yours."

Hideki couldn't help but crack a smile at that. "I suppose you're right."

"I thought you already tested out those glasses." I said.

"I do need a few more trials before I know their full power." Hideki said. "This training will be perfect.

"Alright! Then why are we still walking so slow?!" Kyoske asked.

I rolled my eyes for what felt like the millionth time while Hideki snickered. Nothing could match Kyoske's enthusiasm except for…

I wondered how Naruto was doing. He had gone off to train a year ago with Jiraiya and he had another year to go before he returned to the Leaf. I knew he was off getting stronger and I couldn't help but smile at the thought of him. Naruto Uzumaki was a good guy, who was just like Kyoske except maybe even more of a knucklehead and an even louder mouth. I thought about Sakura too and wondered how her training with Tsunade was going. She had vowed to become stronger herself and I remembered she had mentioned that she was studying medical Ninjutsu as well.

Then, I thought about Sasuke and felt myself get pulled down into the slump that I had been trying to deal with. The heavy weight in my chest, the sickening feeling that came over me at the mere thought of him. That was all it took and I was back where I started. I could practically smell him in the air around me. I missed him more than anything and if the past six months had taught me anything, it was that I really did care for him and I prayed that somehow he felt the same for me.

Just what was he doing that he hadn't come to see me? That he hadn't sent me not one message? Was training that intense? Was he being held captive? Was he being punished by Orochimaru? Had Orochimaru found out about us? If he had found out about us, what was he waiting for? Until I lost my mind?

"Miyuki?" Kyoske's voice snapped me away from my thoughts and I looked at him.

"Y-yeah?" I asked.

"You alright over there?" Kyoske asked.

"I'm fine." I said. "Are we almost there?"

"We're here already." Hideki said nodding toward the Academy building before us. It was all one floor but the property was vast with a playground for the young ones and a vast training course for the older kids.

"Let's get this over with." I said before folding my hands behind my back.

…

"Water Style! Raging Waves!" The boys fired off their attacks and I smirked while the kids _ahhed_ and _oohed_ from the side.

"Lightening Blade!" I swiped my arm at the water streams and my lightening crackling hand dispelled the attack, making the water sizzle out.

"Nice!" The Jonin on the side said as they clapped their hands excitedly.

"See kids? A standard defensive jutsu!" Nonaka-sensei smiled.

She was a slender woman with a wiry fain, circle glasses and long brown hair. She had been my teacher growing up not only when I left the village with Orochimaru but when I came back as well. She had been the one who threw the idea at us for the training and she had claimed it was because we were her best and favorite students but Kyoske had said it was because we were the only ones who didn't think she was crazy. With her spiral glasses and over excitement, Nonaka-sensei was a lot to handle at time but for the little kids it worked while the older kids steered clear. We had just never learned to look the other way.

"That was totally awesome!" Gao, a chubby boy with rosy cheeks exclaimed.

"Totally cool!" A few others cheered.

Kyoske shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. "It was no big deal really. I mean as long as you train every day and stay in school, you'll be fine."

His words made a few girls swoon while Nonaka-sensei clapped even more excitedly. I rolled my eyes and Hideki shook his head.

"That's most definitely right, Kyoske! Just what I'd expect from such a star like yourself!" Nonaka smiled.

"Let's not get his head too swollen now, sensei." Hideki said, earning a look from Kyoske.

I stepped forward and held my hands up. "Alright, guys let's move onto the next exercise and see what you've got!"

The kids cheered and moments later we were all going head to head. A few of the newer students used Taijutsu, basic fighting techniques that made Kyoske go over the top for. He let a few of them "take him out" and instead ended up playing tag with them until Hideki scolded him. The mid-year students were eager to show off their Ninjutsu though one kid had a rock technique they showed off. The kid had happily announced that he had learned it from his aunt's husband's brother from a few villages' over. As for the final year students, it was more of a fighting for our lives battle. There were a few close calls, but nothing to make us nervous and by the end of it, we were exhausted, drenched in sweat and my mind was racing, and reeling really from it all.

Regardless, it felt good because for about five hours, I hadn't thought about Sasuke not once. I was proud of myself because it was a new record.

"Oh that was wonderful you guys! Thank you so much for helping us out!" Nonaka exclaimed.

I offered her a smile after wiping the sweat from my brow. "It's no problem at all sensei."

"It's the least that we could do after everything you've done for us." Hideki said.

"You're all so sweet!" Nonaka-sensei said as she adjusted her crazy glasses. We turned to wave the last of the children off before sensei turned to face us again and then her eyes landed on me.

"Oh Miyuki, I meant to tell you about Lady Aō." Nonaka-sensei said. "I'm so busy praising you three that I forgot to tell you that she had a message for you."

"A message for me?" I asked, mystified.

Granny Aō? I had forgotten all about her. I remembered her fondly from my childhood, an elderly woman with long white hair pulled into a silky bun atop her head and traditional robes like the ones Akane liked to barely wear. Aō was a village elder as well as a psychic of sorts. People from all over the Land of Water went to her doorstep to find out futures or about their loved ones. She was also a natural healer, a medical ninja of sorts except she didn't rely on herbs, just nature filled remedies, like mud and steam. So even more natural, than natural. Though her medical techniques only worked for colds and allergies, she was still hired on the psychic department. When I was younger, my mother used to go to Aō on the regular but not to get a prediction just to give the old woman some company. She had lost all of her family and my mother had taken her under her wing except when mom couldn't walk anymore, it was up to Aō to come and visit her.

Nowadays, I visited Aō every once and a while, between missions here and there. I knew that she had gotten even older now and last I had heard of her; she was a little under the weather. I imagined whatever message she had for me involved me having to make her my mother's signature soup for her.

"Is something wrong? Is she doing okay?" I asked. Other than my family, Nonaka also spoke to Lady Aō but while hype around the old woman had died a while ago, Nonaka still believed in Aō's visions.

"She just wanted me to let you know that she wants to see whenever you can. She knows that you're busy and all but she says that it's been a while and she also asked me to give you this." Nonaka dug in the pockets of her military pants and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. I took it from her and Nonaka smiled.

"She said you'd know what it means."

"Thanks." I managed.

"Well, we better get going." Kyoske smiled. "We have to meet Megumi-sensei for dinner."

Nonaka nodded. "Send her my regards and thanks again!"

We left shortly after and at first we walked in silence. I fingered the tiny scrap of paper between my fingers, contemplating on whether or not I should open it now or later. If it was something bad, it would ruin dinner but if it turned out to be something pointless I'd be upset for saving it. Either way was a lose-lose situation.

"You gonna open it or you gonna just play with it?" Kyoske snickered.

"She'll open it when she's ready." Hideki said.

Kyoske shrugged. "Just saying."

"I didn't know you still spoke to Aō." Hideki said.

"I heard she's just as crazy as Nonaka." Kyoske chuckled.

"Everyone's always thought that she was a little crazy." I said stuffing the paper into my pocket, opting for later.

"Yeah, well, she keeps to herself nowadays. I heard she doesn't leave her house at all." Kyoske said.

"She probably can't leave her house anyway because of her old age." Hideki said.

"I think she just has a bad cold and she wants my mom's soup." I said. "My mom's soup heals just about anything. Toothache, stomachache's, cold sweats, anxiety, you name it, it fixes."

"You should start selling it if it works all those miracles. We could be billionaires." Kyoske said.

"Since when is there a 'we' when I make the soups?" I asked.

Hideki chuckled. "Exactly. You're the one that's always sick and overly dramatic in a corner."

"I'll be the face of the company." Kyoske said, flipping his hair. "Ladies can't get enough of me these days."

"Too much info." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I didn't want to imagine many things and Kyoske's love life was definitely one of them.

"Who speaks to you other than Miyuki and Nonaka-sensei?" Hideki asked.

"Hideki!" Kyoske shouted just as Hideki and I burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

We looked up and found Megumi-sensei staring down at us.

"These two are denying how awesome I am…again." Kyoske said. "It's just jealousy."

"Hmph." Megumi-sensei said. In a lot of ways, sensei was exactly the same and she hadn't changed at all this year except for the occasional trip to the Leaf that she took or even better the occasional Water village trip Kakashi took. Just last week he had been in the village though Akane didn't seem to like it.

Sensei had told me about her past with Kakashi, hinted at their current situation and it was clear that there was more to the story because Akane was against it period. Regardless, sensei didn't seem to care much and as a result, her and Akane didn't speak anymore. But, if it bothered sensei, she did a great job not showing it.

"What are we going to eat today?" I asked.

"We'll vote, but before we go I have a surprise for you three." Megumi-sensei said.

Kyoske's eyes twinkled with interest. "Surprise?"

Hideki arched an eyebrow. "Surprise?" He seemed suspicious.

Megumi nodded just as a familiar voices sounded from behind us.

"I told you to stop calling me that kid! Keep it up and I'll be cutting your training short!"

"Let's see you try it old man!"

I swung around only to see Jiraiya and Naruto walking toward us, their eyes pointed right at each other, hard glares on their faces.

"Naruto!" I exclaimed, startling him out of his fight. He turned to face me and his blue eyes widened the moment he saw me. He hadn't changed, in fact he still had his orange jumpsuit except now his jacket was off and tied around his waist and he had a black shirt on with his net armor underneath. Jiraiya looked exactly the same as well.

"Miyu—"

I had run right into him by then and knocked the words clean out of his mouth. He stumbled, but he managed to catch me and hug me back.

"I'm so happy to see you!" I exclaimed. It felt good, like a blast from the past.

"Same." Naruto said, before lowering me to the ground.

"Man, I wish I got twice the greeting you just got when she sees me." Kyoske said. I pulled away from Naruto to playfully hit him on the arm just as Kyoske clapped Naruto on the shoulder.

"But it's really good to see you, kid."

"Kid?" Naruto repeated, looking confused. "Hey wait, Kyoske we're the same age!"

"It's also clear that Naruto isn't a kid anymore either." Hideki said. "Just look at him."

I blinked back at Hideki and then slowly looked Naruto over only to find something shocking before I reached his eyes. Before he had left on his journey, he had been just a few inches taller than me but now he was standing even taller, almost a foot taller. He was almost Sasuke's—

I was back in my slump and felt the pit in my stomach turn that much deeper. I put a hand over it and looked away.

"What have you been feeding the kid, Jiraiya? He's growing up." Megumi-sensei said with a smirk.

Jiraiya laughed. "He eats enough for six people. I sure hope that something on him grows to reflect it."

Naruto blushed and scratched the back of his head. "I'm not that tall."

"You're about our height now." Hideki said.

He had a point. Naruto wasn't quite as tall as the boys, but he was just under them by a small fraction. In a few months or who knew maybe overnight, he'd be just like them.

"So, what are we going to eat? I'm starving!" Jiraiya exclaimed, rubbing his belly.

Megumi-sensei rolled her eyes. "Do you have to be so loud?"

"Are we going to go off on our own dinner and leave the brats behind, Megumi? Or are we going to have a family dinner if you know what I mean?" Jiraiya asked inching closer and closer to my sensei with his wiggling eyebrows, slick smirk and sleazy attitude. Megumi-sensei glared at him and punched him down to the ground, her teeth gritted.

"In your dreams, Jiraiya! I see even after this year you still haven't changed. Doesn't give me much hope for your future!"

"Does…that mean…I have a chance?" Jiraiya's muffled voice asked from the ground.

Megumi-sensei flushed. "No chance!"


	3. Chapter 2: Mission: Deliver the Scroll!

**Chapter 2: Mission: Deliver the Scroll!**

"It's so beautiful here." Naruto marveled.

We were sitting under an oak tree on top of my favorite hill that overlooked my village. From our position, I could see Akane's mansion at the center, and my apartment complex near the village edge. There was the Academy, the shopping square, and other residences that turned into small vendor huts the further out the village went. It was peaceful and quaint but it was also beautiful and rustic.

It had been a whole day since Naruto and Jiraiya had arrived in my village. After an eventful dinner last night, we had walked them to the nearest inn and I had made plans with Naruto to give him a tour. Naruto bit into one of the mini sandwiches I had prepared for our little picnic after the tour and smiled. I giggled and took a sip of my juice, nodding in agreement.

"It's refreshing too." I said and took a deep breath, smelling the salty sea air from just beyond the small outlining forest.

"Yeah…it is." Naruto said and then looked over at me, his blue eyes shining. "When Jiraiya-sensei said that we were coming here, at first I couldn't remember. He said that we were going to a village hidden from the outside world, lost somewhere deep in the mist."

"Then I remembered that day we met, what Zabuza said." Naruto continued before looking back out at the village. "It's just crazy though…all of this hidden away…"

"We were banished really." I said, hugging my knees.

"Banished?" Naruto asked, looking at me with raised brows.

I nodded, remembered my village's history. "It happened years ago. Everyone here is a descendant of that time. Before, whenever people disagreed with our Daimyō, they were banished from the land to these outlying islands. But, this village was home to one of the biggest groups banished from the Land of Water."

"Who were they?" Naruto asked.

I looked at him. "The Obanji clan and a few others."

His eyes widened. "Wait…Obanji…that's…that's your clan!"

I nodded. "Yeah, my ancestors were probably the biggest radicals in the land."

"So they were sent here and what happened?" Naruto asked.

"Well, at first the Genjutsu was held in place by seals and since this island is even deeper into the fog, everyone was nervous. But, members of my clan kept everyone's panic at bay. They were being shipped off to a war-torn area but my people never thought of it that way. The fog wasn't seen as some sort of death sentence but as much needed protection. The seals were strong, but they weren't strong enough and back then a lot of bad shinobi came through and terrorized the village. So, the Obanji clan picked their strongest member and they cast the Genjutsu, and it was even stronger than the seals."

"My clan was known for their overabundance of chakra and their ability to control it and while it worked and the village spent many years in peace, it was the casting of the Genjutsu that was the hardest. Only my clan can really handle the strain and living a normal life and trying to protect the village is even harder."

"So who protects the village now?" Naruto asked.

I looked at Akane's palace. "Priestess Akane."

"Is she a member of your clan?"

"No…not exactly." I said and looked down at my knees. "I mean she's like family but she's just…she's strong and has a lot of chakra too and even though it strains her and leaves her bedridden at times, she's the only other one who can protect the village."

"And the other is?" Naruto asked but something in his voice told me that by the end he had realized it.

"Me." I said, lifting a hand and placing it over the mark on my neck.

"But, I can't protect the village… not after all that happened."

"After your mark…" Naruto said, his eyes distant, his jaw locking as he turned away.

I had told Naruto about my connection to Orochimaru one day over ramen a little after he had been released from the hospital. He had closed himself off in the same way, his eyes stormy and I knew just like I did now that he was thinking about Sasuke.

I nodded. "It's too unstable, too risky. Akane is the only other option and since I'm out the only other option is…" I let my voice trail off, feeling a sharp pain in my stomach with just the thought alone.

"Who is it?"

"Megumi-sensei."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wh-why?"

I smiled softly, my hand dropping. "She's Priestess Akane's only daughter."

It was the reason why Megumi-sensei had lived such a pampered and sheltered life and why she had been the target of rogue ninja when she was younger. The only other known person who could handle the pressure of protecting the village and it fell on my sensei's shoulders. I hadn't thought about it much when I was younger, in fact I had hardly cared but nowadays, it was all I could think about it. If something happened to Akane, would sensei even accept the position? She had Kakashi on a certain level and saying yes to protecting her people meant that they would have to end things. It was because sensei didn't have any Obanji blood running through her veins that she wouldn't be able to leave the island much like Akane hadn't left since she had taken over.

Naruto nodded before easing back against the tree. "That sucks."

I cracked a small smile. "Yeah…it does." The mood had dampened between us and the last thing I wanted was for Naruto's visit to be sad. I forced an even bigger smile and looked over at him.

"But what brings you two here?" I asked.

Naruto smiled. "Well, it's like a little vacation I guess. Jiraiya said that I've been training so hard I deserved a short break."

I nodded. "How long will you be here for?"

"Just for a few days." Naruto said. "Then we're heading to the Kirigakure for more training."

"Sounds like you guys have quite the schedule planned." I said.

Naruto smirked. "I guess."

"But how has it been, really been? All the traveling and everything?"

Naruto turned to face me more and scratched the back of his head. "I mean it's been fun. Different places every week and as for the training, I've gotten way stronger and I still have another year to go."

I nodded. "How has Jiraiya been?"

"Still as pervy old man." Naruto said before rolling his eyes up to the sky. "I bet we're here so he can scope out Akane."

I laughed. "Well, it's good. You both get to relax."

"Yeah and he gets to keep going with his little 'research'."

I nodded, remembering something about Jiraiya writing the world's most perverted book series that I had seen Kakashi reading while Megumi-sensei lectured him one time.

"How have you been?" Naruto asked, smiling down at me.

I looked away, back toward the village, my smile tightening. I had been training myself of course but before it had helped the time go by until I could see Sasuke but now…

"I've been good. Getting stronger and all that too."

Naruto nodded. "That's good."

"Yeah." I swallowed, the hand on my neck sliding down over my heart. It hurt too much to think about me because it always went right back to thoughts about Sasuke and once he was in my head, it was hard to stop thinking about him.

"Ahh!" Naruto said, sliding down to the grass and folding his hands behind his head. His eyes were trained to the leaves above where the sunlight filtered in between the swaying leaves. I joined him and remembered a time when I had done the same with Sasuke.

It had been the second month of seeing each other and we had been lying in a small clearing surrounded by thick trees near the Stone Village. I had been lying beside him, his arm under my neck and our eyes had been trained to the sky above, small gentle puffs of clouds floating by across the sea of blue.

 _"_ _Aren't you scared?" I had asked._

 _He hadn't answered at first but I had felt something inside of him shift just slightly. I had looked up at him and tried to get a peek at his expression._

 _"_ _Of what?" He had asked just as I had caught sight of his face._

 _"_ _Of getting caught."_

 _He glanced at me and I had blushed._

 _"_ _No."_

 _I managed a nod but he had continued to stare at me and I turned to gaze back toward the sky to try and relieve my overheated cheeks._

 _"_ _How is he treating you?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm and trying to sound as casual as I could._

 _"_ _It's not important." He said quickly and I had looked at him. He had sounded cold and curt._

 _"_ _Sasuke I—"_

 _He sat up then, pulling away from me. I didn't have to be a genius to figure out that I had stirred something inside of him and now he was pushing me away just like he always did whenever I crossed a line. I had sat up right after and placed a hand on his shoulder._

 _"_ _I'm sorry." I said. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."_

 _"_ _I don't."_

 _"_ _We can talk about something else then." I suggested, my hand sliding down his arm._

 _"_ _I saw Sakura the other d—"_

 _He closed his eyes and I stopped talking._

 _"_ _I'm so—"_

 _"_ _I don't want to hear anything about_ _ **them**_ _." He had growled and when he looked back at me, his Sharingan had been in his eyes._

"Miyuki?"

I snapped out of my daydream and found Naruto above me, his brows knitted together with worry.

"Yeah, sorry." I said before sitting up and rubbing my head. "I was just thinking."

He smiled. "It's all good. No worries. Believe it."

I looked at the grin on his face and couldn't help but return a gentle smile.

"Oh there you two are."

We looked down the hill only to see Jiraiya standing at the bottom with his hands on his hips. He had a small smile on his lips and Naruto rose to his feet.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Your presence has been requested by Priestess Akane, Naruto." Jiraiya answered.

My brows lifted. Naruto had just arrived in the village and already Akane was asking for his company. Naruto seemed to realize this as well and his hands balled into fists at his side.

"Yeah, okay." He called before jumping down to Jiraiya's side.

"Naruto! Wait up." I called to him, quickly packing up the remainder of our lunch. "I want to come with you."

…

"I brought him just as I promised, Akane." Jiraiya said the moment Akane's nurses shut the door behind us.

Akane's office hadn't changed much and it was still as dark as ever, her curtains drawn. Akane was sitting at her desk and seemed a little bit stronger today. Paperwork littered every corner of her desk and she was working through it slowly, but with great purpose. She had been reading something from a book when we entered and one of her aids was busy finding it's place on the shelf.

"Good." Akane said, her gaze stern as she looked up and then over at me.

I had walked in behind Naruto and knew just by the look in her eye that she didn't like me being there. But, she wouldn't turn me away, she'd just stare at me a lot to show her disproval.

"Naruto, I wanted to take time to personally welcome you to our village." Akane began, folding her hands on the desk. "I hope you're finding everything here to your liking."

Naruto smiled and nodded, a bead of sweat forming on the side of his head. "Yeah-yes. Everything is going great actually. Miyuki was just showing me around earlier today."

Akane nodded, shooting me another look at the mention of my name and that made me stiffen slightly.

"Very well." Akane said with an affirmative nod. "I was speaking with Jiraiya just before you and he told me that you have become his newest student. He said you've come a long way as well."

Naruto nodded.

"You mastered the Rasengan in one week and protected the Fifth Hokage from Orochimaru." Akane said.

I glanced at Naruto. When had he fought Orochimaru?

"I've also come to understand that the rogue ninja group, the Akatsuki have taken interest in you recently."

"I believe they're after Naruto's demon spirit, Kurama." Jiraiya explained. I looked at his expression and found him surprisingly stern, his eyes hard. "But, I believe they won't attack right away. They have to prepare but they'll be ready in another year."

Naruto nodded in agreement as I looked at the floor. That was why he had been pulled from the village. That was why they were constantly bouncing from village to village. It wasn't that they were running, they were hiding. Keeping Naruto in one place was too risky especially when the Akatsuki had proven that they could walk into Konoha anytime they wanted. They could spy and study his training, mark his progression and whenever they were ready to take him on, they'd know everything about him. Moving was a way to keep it all hidden, to keep them wondering just like they were one big mystery.

Akane nodded. "But, you're in good hands Naruto. Jiraiya is a lot of things, but he's a brilliant shinobi, his abilities true to his Sanin title as I'm sure you've come to realize."

Naruto smirked. "Yeah, Pervy Sage is okay I suppose."

A vein pulsed in Jiraiya's forehead. "Little brat!" He slapped Naruto at the back of his head and a few of the nurses had to stifle back giggles.

"Oww! Why'd you do that for?" Naruto snapped, rubbing his head.

"It's what you get for being a little punk!"

"You mean for speaking the truth?!"

"Why you little—" Jiraiya growled.

"I have a request, Naruto." Akane said, earning their attention. She didn't seem too enthused about their interactions but, she was never very enthused to begin with.

Naruto and Jiraiya looked at her, Jiraiya sheepish and Naruto flushed, more sweat forming on his brow.

"A mission of sorts, I guess you can say." Akane said and lifted a hand just as the aid beside her handed her a file.

"Y-yes. Anything." Naruto said, stepping forward.

"It's nothing really." Akane said as she opened the file. "Just a little delivery of sorts." She pulled a paper out from the small stack inside the folder and extended it toward Naruto who took it and looked it over.

"There is a small village near the Mountain's Graveyard. It's not a village really, just a collection of people living on the outskirts of the Waterfall village." Akane said.

"Hmph." Naruto said, his eyes still scanning the page.

"I have a scroll that belongs to those people. I've just been tasked with its delivery. My aides were borrowing it for research purposes but since the village can't send someone to bring it back, they require my services to do so. It's important that they receive it right away."

Naruto nodded. "I'll bring it, no problem."

Akane nodded. "It will be a long journey but I have full belief that you can make it there with little to no problem."

"I'll be staying behind here in the village to wait for you." Jiraiya said with a smile. "This mission will set us back a little bit but in the end I think some time on your own will do you some good."

Naruto nodded, folding up the mission briefing before stuffing it into the pocket of his pants. "Right, it's no big deal. I can do this, no problem. Believe it!"

If I remembered correctly, the Graveyard was in a mountainous region and was north of my village. It would be a long journey to the drop off and not only would Naruto visit many lands in between, but he would have to cross it all coming back as well. Sure he was going to get the mission done as quickly as possible so that he could get back to Jiraiya for his training but I couldn't imagine him going alone.

I stepped forward.

"Priestess Akane, may I ask something?"

"What is it, Miyuki?" Akane asked, slightly irritated as she turned to face me as did everyone else in the room.

I felt my cheeks redden under their stares. "I-I just wanted to know if there was room on the journey for one more."

Akane arched an eyebrow.

"If-if Naruto gets hurt, there's no one to heal him or if he gets lost there's no one to help him navigate, not that he can't navigate but I-I just think he would be better off with someone else by his side."

"Are you offering your services?"

I blushed and clasped my hands behind my back as I averted my eyes. "I-I wouldn't mind joining him. Even though the mission doesn't sound hard there's still the risk of an ambush or an attack of some kind."

"The mission calls for one person but I get your point." Akane said, her eyes narrowing. "But, it's not my call to make."

I looked at her. "W-whose is it?"

Akane looked at Naruto who was looking at her for an answer as well.

"It's Naruto's."

Going with him would put my mind at ease. Even though I still thought about Sasuke, being with Naruto helped me focus on other things. He talked a lot, made me laugh until my sides hurt, but more than that he made me smile with how genuine he was at times. The mission would be a great way to get my mind off things and things in the village had been slow, so agonizingly slow that it was otherwise impossible to get out of my slump.

I looked at Naruto who seemed confused.

"I don't get it." He admitted.

Jiraiya groaned. "It's up to you whether or not Miyuki gets to go with you, knucklehead."

His eyes brightened. "Oh!"

He looked back at me. "Are you sure, Miyuki?"

I nodded. "I think it will be fun. A journey like this one is much better with someone else. It's much better than being alone."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Alright then it's settled. I guess we're heading out together." He looked back at Akane whose expression hadn't changed and it made his smile falter slightly.

"If-if that's alright that is…"

Akane looked me over and sighed one of her aid's placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It's fine, if that's what you want."

Naruto's smile turned more confident. "Yeah, I do." He smiled back at me. "It will be fun."

I smiled and nodded in agreement, happy that Akane hadn't shot down the idea, though she did seem suspicious.

"Then it's settled." Akane said, closing the folder on her desk. "You two will leave in the morning."

"And take as long as you need, kid." Jiraiya said, shooting us a saucy grin. "I'll be keeping busy by doing some research."

This made a few of the nurse's giggle while Akane rolled her eyes and Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Just don't get in trouble, pervy old man." Naruto said, his voice dry.

I smiled while the two of them launched into another fight but I was aware of Akane's gaze, her eyes suspicious as she looked me over.


	4. Chapter 3: Shine Bright Strong New Abili

**Chapter 3: Shine Bright Strong New Abilities!**

"Looks pretty fancy for just some scroll." Naruto said, holding the scroll up with the tips of his fingers.

We had found our way into a small bakery in the Hidden Mist Village. We had stopped not because we were hungry, but because we wanted to map out the fastest root to the Village of Bone, our drop-off location for the scroll. After we had finished eating, Naruto had held up the elaborate piece.

It truly was a beautiful scroll. Its handles were adorned with what looked like hundreds of colorful jewels. The paper rolled inside looked coarse and weathered but even the ripples of the sheet added to the scrolls antique charm. It looked more like a decoration that belonged on a mantle somewhere, or a dear family anecdote passed down from generation to generation.

Naruto ran his fingers over the handles and finally placed it gently on the table between us. I reached for it shortly after and opened it up, my eyes scanning over the words etched into the paper. I had read them quickly at first, my eyes just brushing over the words but looking at it again I decided to really read it and really think the words through.

 _At the center of three powers, it stands as a pillar of memory._

 _A valley of Death, history etched into its protruding pieces of white._

 _Sharp as the piercing winds, howling through the valley with all of its might._

It was a poem of sorts and by the looks of it, it was incomplete and completely unsatisfying. There were a few ink blotches toward the bottom where the writer's pen had leaked and caused quite a bit of what I could only imagine was frustration. Words had been written before quickly being scratched out.

"It's a…poem." I said, putting the scroll back down between us. Naruto eyed the paper and scoffed, reaching for a piece of bread.

"A bad one." He added dryly.

"It's not finished." I said before closing it up and pushing it to the side.

"Still sucks." Naruto said between chews.

I smirked. He had a point but a part of me wondered exactly what the unfinished poem really meant while the other part of me wondered what the finished work would have looked like.

"So what's the game plan?" Naruto asked nodding toward the map we had purchased as soon as we had touched down in the Water Village.

I reached for it and opened it up, tracing a finger along where we currently were up toward the North where the alleged village was. I remembered the moment we had entered the small map shop and mentioned the village, the shopkeeper had looked at us with arched eyebrows.

 _"_ _What kind of Village is that?" He had asked._

 _"_ _It's not really a village." Naruto had interjected._

 _"_ _Why would anyone want to live out there? There's nothing but dead things that far up North."_

I had shuddered slightly at his words but paid for the map regardless. According to the coordinates Akane had given us in the mission briefing, the "village" fell right in the middle of what looked like an extremely mountainous region. I pointed to the exact location and Naruto nodded.

"It would be longer if we went through the Land of Fire." I said. "Too many obstacles, too many distractions."

Naruto nodded. "The only other option is to cross over, right?"

"Yeah into the Land of Lightening." I said. "From there we should be able to catch another boat to the Hidden Waterfall Village and from there we'll have to walk."

Naruto nodded, looking determined before my words really sunk in. He groaned and put his forehead on the table, his hands gripping the ends of his blonde hair. I stared at him, confused.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Ugh!" He groaned. "So many boat rides!"

"There's not really any other choice."

Naruto groaned again and turned his head to the side, his cheeks on the table. He looked defeated then, his whole body slumped forward. I was used to boat rides, especially long ones. It was the only way of transportation in my neck of the woods but I realized that it wasn't something that Naruto was used to.

"I know…I get it."

"It'll be over quickly." I said, trying to make it better.

Naruto pushed himself up and eyed the scroll before his expression brightened. "Yeah, you're right."

I nodded before putting the map inside my bag. Naruto grabbed the scroll making a show of tossing it into the air and catching it before throwing it in his bag.

"How much do you think something like that costs?" He asked as he pulled his backpack onto his shoulders.

I shrugged. "I feel like it looks like it's more than it's worth."

Naruto nodded. "I mean once you open it alone if the words don't turn you away, I'm sure the ugly paper will."

I giggled as we left the shop and we turned, walking toward the edge of the village. We had planned to travel as far as we could tonight and planned on camping out unless we came across an inn. We had quite a few day's journey to the other side of the Land of Water and we wanted to make it there as fast as possible.

We had made it to the outlining mountainside of the village which had made Naruto groan just by looking at it. The road became that much bumpier suddenly and the hazy mist didn't help our senses either. I glanced back at the village, still able to see it from our perch on the rocky hillside. Its lights looked like pale, flickering lanterns in the haziness and the buildings practically blended into its rocky mountainside. I remembered my mother once saying that thanks to its surroundings and the mist, sometimes travelers couldn't even find the main village.

"Man," Naruto said, his voice breaking through my thoughts. I looked up at him only to see him trying to scale a rock wall. He threw one leg over one side and pulled his body up before turning and extending a hand down toward me. I reached up and he pulled me up swiftly.

"This is a workout." Naruto said, light sweat dotting his brow.

"Can't all be easy." I said as he slid his hands back and forth.

Naruto cracked a smile and nodded. "I guess not."

I looked up at the jagged mountains around us. I imagined at night and through the fog that the shapes could be quite ominous but I wasn't only thinking about that. I knew that the Land of Water was overrun with thugs just like the Land of Waves. Sure there was some sort of law in the land, but as long as the thugs were staying under the radar, only causing trouble every now and then, nothing would happen. I had heard stories of ambushes in the mountainside outlying the main village and my stomach tightened. Anyone could be lurking in the fog and I had to stay on my toes if I wanted us to make it through safe.

Naruto reached up and wiped the sweat from his brow which only reminded me of how hot and muggy the air around us felt. I knew the land dipped in temperature in some areas. I even knew that some places had endless snow. But, the Water Village was always muggy and hot and I was reaching for my water bottle when I felt it.

I was swinging around when an arm came up from behind me and came down hard on my throat. My whole body slid back and I grunted, my hands swinging up to grip at my attacker's arm which was pressing down on my throat.

Naruto swung around, kunai drawn only to meet a sword with a loud _CLANG!_ The sound echoed throughout the rocky hillside and Naruto grunted under the weight of his own opponent. I heard a dark, low chuckle come out from the body behind me and I gritted my teeth together. We had been too slow though Naruto seemed to be more prepared than I had been.

"Pass the scroll and no one gets hurt." The man struggling against Naruto managed.

I looked at him, my eyes trying to get a good look at his face. He was tall and strong and though his clothes were nothing spectacular, I could tell he was the leader just by the way he carried himself. He had an "X" scar on his right cheek and his eyes were wide, almost crazed as he said the words through stern lips.

"Miyuki, you alright?" Naruto called, still struggling against the man and ignoring his question completely.

I coughed in response because the body that was holding me in place pulled their forearm further in. I dug my fingernails into the flesh of their arm but it had little to no effect.

"Let her go." Naruto demanded, his blue eyes hard as they turned to face the man in front of him.

The man snickered. "What are two brats like you doing with something like that, huh?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I said let her go."

"Yeah well kid, we'll let her go when you give us the scroll." The man demanded.

"Naruto…" I said as I struggled. "J-Just give him w-what he wants."

Naruto's eyes cut over to me and darkened. He looked back at the man before him which made him smirk in response.

"I'd do as your little girlfriend says, kid." The man said. "If you don't that kunai slides right across her throat."

"Ku—" I felt it then, something slick and cold pressing right against my side. I watched as the body lifted it up and suddenly it was pressing against my neck. There was no way out now. There had been hope before but anything I could have done, any chance I had of trying to escape was reckless now. I would put either myself or Naruto in danger or maybe even both.

Naruto's glare hardened and his grip on his kunai became firmer.

"What's it gonna be kid?" The man shouted.

Naruto shot me a look that seemed uneasy and finally, after what felt like an eternity, he reached for the scroll in his pocket with a trembling hand.

"Good kid." The man said. "Guess you're not as dopey as you look."

Naruto pulled out the scroll and the man snatched it from him with a sadistic and cruel smile on his lips as he pushed away from Naruto's kunai. Naruto's kunai dropped to his side but he still seemed tense, still ready for anything.

The man looked back at me and I found he was even creepier to look at from the front as he was from the side. He looked me over and snickered again.

"Let her go." Naruto growled.

"What's it gonna be boss?" The man behind me asked, the blade of the kunai pressing deeper against my skin.

"I don't think that these punks really understand what we're about." The leader grumbled. "Look at this one! He doesn't look so dopey anymore, right? Look at him, really look at him? There's an animal behind his eyes."

"What do you wanna do about it, boss?" The man holding me asked. He had a dark edge to his voice and I locked eyes with Naruto.

It would be risky but whatever these two thugs were planning wasn't good. My heart slammed in my chest and I knew that we had to do something. Standing around and waiting, hoping that merely giving them the scroll wasn't enough. These two wanted more.

I moved quickly, bringing my foot up before slamming it down on the man's foot. He groaned in response, his body bending forward as I lifted my arm and brought it back, catching him right in the gut while Naruto began weaving hand signs.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Five Naruto's appeared and it was hard to tell which one was the real one. They moved quickly, charging toward the lead thug with war cries and kunai raised high. The man holding me in place growled and was trying to catch his bearings when I gripped his arm and pulled him over my back. I cried out as the kunai slid across my skin, nothing more than a light flesh wound but a wound nonetheless.

"Miyuki!" The Naruto clones called out as they began to clash with the lead thug who cackled as he took them all on.

"Fancy little clone trick you've got here, kid." The man chuckled. "Though, it's not very impressive." The leader laughed as he fought against the clones. He destroyed one clone before turning to face the others three and sucked in a breath.

"Raging Waves!" He shouted, exhaling a stream of water that rammed into the Naruto's.

"Naruto!" I shouted before I sensed him above. I looked up just in time to see Naruto, the real one, and watched as he delivered a swift kick to the leader's face, sending the man flying back.

That was when my attacker stumbled to his feet and charged for me. He was rather big and his eyes were as small and beady as a rat's. I shifted, trying to move until I felt something hot snaking down my neck and reached up only to find my own blood. The man rammed into me and I cried out again as he slammed me against a tree. I grappled with him, struggling to find a weapon while he struggled to hold me still. I pulled out a kunai and thrust it into his shoulder. He cried out and stumbled back and I took the opportunity to kick him right into the stomach.

Overall the criminal pair didn't seem like much but using a jutsu as powerful as he had, proved that the leader had some sort of training in the way of the shinobi. I wondered then just what other Jutsu the leader knew.

The man who attacked me rolled back and he was out for the count, cringing in pain while the leader pushed himself to his feet, wiping a small bit of blood from his mouth as he snickered.

"You stupid kids." The man growled. "Now…now you two asked for it." He started wielding hand signs while Naruto rushed to my side, his hand coming down on my back.

"Miyuki, are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine." I managed, lifting a hand to my neck once more to try and stop the bleeding.

"We have to get you out of here." Naruto said before he grabbed my shoulders and helped me to my feet. I put all my weight on him and we were about to jump to higher ground when the leader let out his attack.

"Water Style! Violent Bubble Wave!" The leader shouted blowing out a stream of bubbles. The bubbles completely covered our feet and any chance we had of jumping or even starting to run for that matter shattered.

"Dammit!" Naruto growled, weaving more hand signs before more Naruto clones appeared. Two of them jumped to meet the man with kunai while one stayed back to free the real Naruto from the bubble trap and the real one pulled a hand back, opening his palm. When the real Naruto was free, the clone was able to help Naruto form a blue sphere of chakra.

My eyes widened as I remembered the last time I had seen the attack. Sasuke and Naruto had been fighting on the roof of the hospital. It had been nothing but hand to hand combat for the first half until the fight became serious and both boys used the techniques their sensei's had taught them. I shivered remembering that Kakashi had said that Sasuke's Chidori was too big to be aimed at a comrade. I remembered Naruto's fight with Sasuke, their last one before Sasuke officially left Konoha but not before pushing a Chidori through Naruto's chest, narrowly missing his heart in the process.

"RASENGAN!" Naruto shouted, the clone disappearing as Naruto jumped into the air to meet the leader who had dispelled the last clone and was turning to face the real Naruto. I watched as he merely turned to meet the Rasengan head on and watched as his eyes bulged before rolling to the back of his skull, revealing the whites in his eyes. He went flying back, the colorful scroll rolling through the air before he joined his chubby sidekick on the ground. Regardless, the leader was out for the count and Naruto landed beside me.

His clone shot forward catching the scroll midair before returning it to the original Naruto and disappearing into a cloud of smoke. Naruto didn't seem the least bit tired and he smirked over at the thugs who seemed to be shaking in their sandals. He reached down and helped me to my feet.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Let's just get out of here." I managed, finding it harder and harder to use my voice. Naruto nodded and after freeing me from the bubble trap, we took off, jumping to higher ground and running as fast and as far as we could from the thugs.

"You're bleeding a lot." Naruto said digging in his backpack for something while I dug in mine for my first-aid kit. I knew the cut wasn't that deep, but it was a flesh wound regardless and it stung. It would take a few moments to heal with medical jutsu but it felt like such a waste to use chakra for something so small. It was as I pulled out my first aid kit when a slip of paper rolled out and I reached for it, smoothing out the crumpled piece of paper on my thigh before my eyes struggled to make sense of the words.

"But the cut isn't that bad." Naruto said, still digging. "Oh man where's my bandages in here?" He pulled out a small cup of instant ramen and groaned as he tossed it over his shoulder.

"Naruto." I croaked, pressing some cotton against my wound. I lifted the paper as he glanced at me, pulling out a fistful of rags. He blinked at the paper in my hand.

"What's that?" he asked.

I hadn't looked at the scrap of paper from Granny Aō but I had remembered packing it, meaning to look at it at some point during the journey and maybe stopping on the way back. But, there was no excuse now and I knew from the area that visiting her wouldn't put us too off track.

"An old friend…" I managed as Naruto took the paper from my hand to get a better look. "She can help me."

Naruto nodded, determination lighting his eyes as he crumpled the paper in his fist again and helped me onto my feet.

"Alright, then let's go."


	5. Chapter 4:Fortunes for the Unfortunate!

**Chapter 4: Fortunes for the Unfortunate**

"It's about time you showed up."

Granny Aō lived on the outskirts of the Water Village and was one of the very few people who took great pride in it. She was self-sustained and never needed to go to the Water Village for anything. She had a vast expanse of land that included a small farm complete with chickens and cows and had a vast garden with colorful fruits and vegetables featuring a small herb section. She lived by herself and had lived by herself for as long as I could remember. She hardly ever received visitors though customers were always knocking on her door, begging for her special medicines and lengthy predictions.

I smiled up at her, feeling my heart swell with love. She sounded cranky and she certainly looked like it too but then again, nothing much had changed. Her hair was still atop her head in a silky bun and she still wore her robes, though the ones she currently wore were neutral colors, not as elaborate or bright as the ones I remembered as a child. Her eyes were small behind her wire framed glasses and she looked down at Naruto and I from her doorstep, her wrinkled lips pulling down at the edges as she frowned.

"How rude of you to keep an old woman waiting." Granny continued, folding her arms across her chest. She certainly looked older, more ancient even but she was still Granny at the end of the day, serious and stoic.

"Who is this bag of bones again?" Naruto muttered. He hadn't seem impressed from the moment he had laid eyes on Granny and from the way she turned to look at him the moment he had "whispered" at me, she wasn't either.

"What was that?" Granny asked. "What did the stupid blonde one mutter?"

Naruto's eyes widened as irritation instantly irked at his brow. "What did you say?!"

I laughed lightly, knowing instantly that the two of them weren't going to hit it off. Most people didn't love Granny because of her attitude and unimpressed aura. But, she wasn't all bad once you got to know her.

"Don't worry Naruto." I said, trying to calm him.

"He's a wild card that one." Granny muttered. "I might look outdated, boy but I'm not obsolete."

Naruto growled, still seething but he pouted and turned away like a child not getting his way, muttering something about why we had to come here of all places.

"Granny Aō, it's so nice to see you." I smiled.

Granny huffed and then motioned for us to enter the house, leaving her front door wide open for us.

"Old lady is crazy." Naruto said.

I laughed. "You sound like Kyoske."

Naruto looked at me. "How do you know her again?"

"She's an old family friend." I said. "Don't worry she's not all bite. You'll get used to her."

We walked inside shortly after and I could smell a fresh pot of tea being brewed on the stove in Granny's kitchen. Her house was fit for a woman of her size, a little smaller than average, smaller than me even. It was easy for those that fell into the average line to feel three sizes too big for Granny's house which was why the moment we walked into the kitchen, Naruto eyed the small seats.

"You've got to be kidding me." He grumbled.

"Quit complaining." Granny replied instantly as she stirred the water boiling in a pot on her stove.

Naruto glared at her, sliding a chair back before trying to make himself comfortable on the tiny stool. Of course, he looked completely ridiculous either way and I had to stifle a giggle. Granny poured the tea and turned to face us with two mugs in her hands. She blinked at Naruto who glared back at her.

"You look like an even bigger idiot, boy." Granny said.

"Watch it you old bag of bones!" Naruto snapped. "Believe it!"

"I _believe_ that if you get anymore worked up that you'll break something and then I'll make you pay for it by working with my cows in the farm." Granny fired back just as a hissing sound came from the corner. I turned toward and found Miroku, Granny's hairless cat, coming toward us. He slid his soft belly across my legs, purring as he curled onto my lap before his eyes landed on Naruto's confused ones. They stared at each other before Naruto started screaming and pointing.

"What the heck is that?!" He shouted.

"That's my cat, Miroku." Granny said as Miroku jumped onto the table and hissed at Naruto.

"That's not a cat that's some weird mutant!" Naruto said just as the cat jumped for him and started scratching at his face. Naruto cried out in pain, struggling to get a good hold on Miroku but he wasn't giving Naruto the upper hand.

"Don't break anything boy!" Granny spat as Naruto fell back, making the table shake. "I was serious about making you work in the barn!"

"Granny." I said, reaching for my cup of tea and bringing it to my lips.

She looked at me. "I called you here to do a reading but I also see that I have to patch you up too." She rose from the table and stopping at the doorway, turned back to look at us.

"Wait here, I'll be right back." She said. Naruto was still struggling with Miroku who had sunk a claw into his lip and was pulling it back. Naruto was holding the cat at an arm's length, tears shining in his eyes.

She left us then and Miroku jumped away from Naruto, making sure to scratch his face one last time before scampering away. Naruto moaned, his hands shooting up to cover his face.

"What was up with that cat?" He asked. "I _hate_ cats!"

It didn't seem like Miroku liked him very much either but I kept that to myself. Miroku usually kept to himself but I sensed the reason Naruto had been attacked was because of the bigger cat lying in wait inside of him. I looked down at the tea in the cup and blew on the rising steam.

"What's this?" Naruto asked looking down into the tea cup.

"We have to drink it all." I said. "We can't leave single drop."

Naruto blinked at me. "Wh-what if I don't drink it all?"

"There's no other option boy." Granny said suddenly, making Naruto nearly jump out of his skin and me shake.

She was mashing a concoction in one of her mixing bowls and had brought fresh bandages. She set her materials on the table and turned a stool toward me before easing down into the seat. She moved my hair away from my neck and pulled my makeshift bandage off. She observed the wound before nodding to my tea cup.

"Drink up, both of you." She commanded.

I brought the tea up to my lips while Naruto took a tentative sniff of his. After exchanging a look, we both started drinking and Naruto's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. The tea overall was very bland but there was a distinct aftertaste that would spread across the taste buds and fill your whole mouth in turn and it was terrible. Naruto gagged as did I, a little bit.

"All of it." Granny scolded, her eyes darting to Naruto who looked like he was in pain. "Don't be wasteful."

I finished first and had to cover my mouth to keep it all down. It was foul and it was as if I had eaten a mouthful of dirt and old food. Naruto finished shortly after, slamming the cup on the table, his whole body shaking.

"Good." Granny said. "You did something right, boy."

Miroku hissed from his perch on top of the counter as Granny tilted my head up.

"What happened?" She asked.

"We were attacked." I answered as she got to work, patting whatever mixture she had been stirring onto my neck. It stung, just slightly and Naruto watched from across the table, his eyes curious.

"By who?" Granny asked.

"Some random thugs." I answered again.

Granny huffed again before shooting a glance at Naruto. "And why doesn't this one have any scratches on him?"

I looked at Naruto who other than looking a little rough around the edges really didn't seem too hurt. But then again, I had caused my own injury so he could hardly be blamed for anything.

"I hope he's not your beloved, Miyuki." Granny said. "I can't afford to have any dopey grandchildren."

Naruto's brow twitched. "What was that?"

"You heard me boy, you're young." Granny said. "I'm a proud woman who doesn't need to stutter."

"It's not his fault." I cut in. "I did this to myself."

Granny didn't seem to believe it but she left it at that. She finished slathering

the ointment on and began bandaging my neck.

"Some protection." Granny said. "From such a powerful village and you can't even protect my Miyuki from some rough and tough thugs?"

Naruto opened his mouth to protest.

"What is your name, boy?" Granny asked before he could get any words out.

"N-Naruto." Naruto seethed.

Granny's eyes narrowed. "Naruto what?"

"Uzumaki." Naruto said. "Naruto Uzumaki."

Granny stared at him. He stared back.

"U-zu-ma-ki." Granny said, sounding out Naruto's surname and looking like she was tasting the words. She looked him over again before huffing and going back to my bandage.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing you can understand boy, not the way you are at least." Granny said.

"Wh-what?" Naruto asked again, confusion bright in his eyes as he looked at me. I had nothing to offer him because I was just as confused.

Granny finished patching me up and reached for the empty tea mugs. She peered down at the bottom of the mug, her eyes studying the tea leaves before she glanced up at Naruto.

"What is it now?" Naruto asked.

Granny looked back at his mug before pushing it to the side. She pulled mine closer while Miroku jumped down to the floor.

"It's just as I thought." Granny said.

I arched an eyebrow. I had never been one for believing in her fortunes but Granny's note flashed in my head. The note had been written in a quick hand and the overall message had been short but the words had been underlined. _I need to see you_ _._

"What's wrong?" I asked, leaning forward.

Granny looked at me before shooting a glance at mystified Naruto who was looking between us.

"Where are you two going?" Granny asked, nodding to the backpacks that we had placed on the ground.

"We're on a mission." I said.

"To the Village of Bones." Naruto added.

Granny nodded. "To do what?"

"To deliver a scroll." I answered. "Why? What is it?"

Granny looked at the tea mugs and picked them up a moment later, walking over to her sink where she let them soak in hot water before turning to face us. She took a breath before continuing.

"You can rest up here before you head out in the morning." Granny said smoothly.

I arched and eyebrow but knew instantly that whatever she wanted to say, she didn't want to say in front of Naruto. I glanced at him as he eyed the small kitchen before he looked back at Granny.

"Where do we sleep in this place? Everything is so cramped in here." Naruto said.

"Fools like you can sleep outside!" Granny shot back automatically. Naruto flushed before he sighed.

"Granny has a guest room." I said before rising to my feet. "I'll show you."

…

"Can't sleep?"

Granny's voice jolted me from my thoughts and I swung around to face her, wrapping the blanket even tighter against my body. She stood in the doorway leading to the backyard, her eyes somber as she looked at me. I hadn't been able to sleep so I had decided to come out back to try and clear my head. Naruto had been sound asleep on the makeshift bed Granny had made him on the floor and I had slipped out of the room careful not to wake him.

I looked away, a smile playing on the edges of my lips. Even Miroku had joined me outside and he stirred beside me, stretching his pink front legs before adjusting himself.

"You can say that." I said.

Granny walked over to my side and Miroku jumped to his feet, instantly running to rub himself between her legs.

I hugged my legs to my chest and took a breath. It was a quiet night and Granny's house felt a world's away from everything. Even though I knew I should have taken it as a sign to relax, I felt on edge, my body anxious.

"Shouldn't you be in bed? Isn't it late?" I asked, finding the silence a little nerve-wracking.

Granny scoffed. "I don't get much sleep these days."

"Why?" I asked.

Granny reached down to pick up a purring Miroku and glanced back at me. "It's about your reading."

I remembered the look on her face when she had looked down at my tea cup. It as was if she hadn't wanted to believe it.

"What about it? Does it say I'm going to die or something?" I asked.

Granny looked at me and I looked away feeling silly for even uttering such words. It wasn't funny. Granny took her readings very seriously and unlike my mother who would merely nod and smile, I had never been able to bite my tongue. I couldn't even remember if my mother cared much for the readings, she was always just so nice to Granny.

Granny licked her lips. "I hadn't wanted to tell Nonaka anything when she came for her monthly reading. I had only heard about it before and I had always pushed it aside, telling myself that it wasn't possible. I didn't want to believe it."

I blinked at her.

"It was a rumor at first and I didn't want to write it all on the note because I didn't want to worry you over nothing."

"Granny, just tell me." I said, my palms beginning to sweat. What on earth could be so bad that she was dancing around the subject?

"They're back." Granny said, her voice low.

I hesitated at first until her words began to sink in. My mind raced but in the end it all came down to the same thing. I squeezed my eyes shut as the sounds of screams rang through my ears. When I opened my eyes, tears were beginning to form. I went through it all again, my mind racing, my throat tightening as I relived the night my entire family had been slaughtered at the hands of my older siblings. Rukia, my sister and Ren, my brother. They had disappeared off the face of the planet shortly after and while I had always known that one day they would come to me to try and finish the job they had started, I had always seen the day as being far away. I covered my mouth while trying to find some sort of grip.

"I heard it in passing, an alleged sighting. They're close and I'm not sure of their intentions." Granny said, her gaze casting down to the floor.

"But?" I asked, her voice sounding as if it had wanted to state an exception. Miroku purred and Granny set him down to the floor. He ran back into the house, disappearing into the darkness.

"Your reading said otherwise." Granny said. "I see a storm brewing just over the horizon, paths crossing."

I shivered at the thought. I knew no matter what I'd never be as strong as them. My fighting would be just as it had been that day when they had pinned me to the ground and pushed a sword clean through my chest, the blade piercing my heart. I had barely survived the first time and I knew whenever they came for me again, I wouldn't be so lucky a second time around. I had trained under Orochimaru not to get stronger, just to protect him. I had assumed once that if they had come back for me then that they would have to go through a Sanin but I had piped that up as a child's dream. I couldn't hide behind Orochimaru. I couldn't hide behind anyone.

"And you think they're going to attack me on this mission? You think they've already found me?" I wouldn't have been exactly hard to find in the first place, but that was an argument for a different day. I wasn't even sure how to react or really feel to the news either. I knew there had to be a certain level of fear, a drizzle of anxiety, but all I really felt was shock. They were here, they were back and they would come for me. But, when?

I had been fine with them appearing when it was just me but I was on a mission with Naruto. I didn't want him to get hurt and what if they were watching me now, waiting to strike and they hurt Granny? I would never be able to forgive them.

I remembered then something that Itachi had said to me over a year ago during one of our battles. He had known my siblings and had said that they had come to him to try and gain entry into the Akatsuki. They had been denied entry and I imagined that their reaction hadn't made the decision any justice, if anything it had just proven how crazy they really were.

"It doesn't matter." I managed, finally.

Granny looked at me.

I looked at her, trying to keep my breathing steady, telling myself I was stronger than this. I wasn't going to crumble. There was no point in crumbling when it came to the inevitable.

"Do you want me to go against the mission? Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

Granny studied me and folded her arms across her chest. "I just figured you would want to know."

I pushed myself to my feet, trying to hide my trembling knees. "I'm not going to run and hide if that's what you really want. I don't have anything to hide and I haven't been hiding from them all this time. There's been nothing stopping them all these years."

"But yet, they're close now." Granny added.

"It still doesn't matter." I said.

Granny took a breath and looked out into the darkness of her backyard. "That scroll of yours…Village of Bones…"

I looked away from her and leaned against the doorframe.

"If I remember correctly, there's a poem inside of there."

I was happy for the slight change of subject but it didn't really change the mood much.

"You know about the scroll?"

Granny looked back at me. "I've heard of it. I've heard of that village as well. Hardly a village by the way, just a few huts gathered along the edge of the mountains. It's too dangerous to move further in."

"You think they're after the scroll or something?" I asked, turning the idea over in my head. "It doesn't make any sense regardless. The scroll is useless. The poem is unfinished."

Granny nodded and then shook it off. "That boy you're travelling with…"

"Naruto?"

"Yes…Naruto…" Granny said with an affirmative nod toward the end. "Does he know what he is?"

Before Sasuke had left Konoha, he and Naruto had had one final fight. Naruto had nearly been killed but Megumi-sensei told me that Kakashi had said the Nine Tails had reacted. Megumi-sensei had said that the power Kakashi had felt had been stronger than the first time we had encountered Team 7 on the bridge near the Land of Waves. I remembered the power from then, powerful and consuming and hadn't thought how strong it would become the closer one got. Itachi had said he had gone to Konoha just for Naruto and his sealed beast.

"I'm sure he does." I said.

"Does he know _who_ he is?" Granny asked.

I arched an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Does he know about the Uzumaki clan?" Granny asked. "Does he know his lineage?"

I stared at her, feeling and probably looking dumbfounded. It only seemed to aggravate Granny more.

"Naruto's…Naruto's an orphan." I said and for the first time wondered how true that was. Suddenly, I felt like I couldn't even believe it myself.

Granny eyed me suspiciously before she headed back into the house. I jumped in front of her.

"What do you know about him?" I asked. "Why would you ask me that?"

Granny sighed and shook her head. "Naruto isn't the topic up for discussion here. If I were you, I'd pay no mind to this old lady's ramblings and focus on myself. You have a lot more to worry about than that boy or any boy for that matter."

She pushed me aside and stepped back inside the house, leaving me behind on the porch. Slowly, I slid to the ground, finally letting my wobbly knees get the better of me. She had a very good point and yet I was torn, unable to really put a finger on the unknown emotion brewing in my chest.

They were back. They were here. They were close. So, what was I going to do about it?

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this one! SUBSCRIBE/ COMMENT!**


	6. Chapter 5: Zero-Hour! The Clashing

**Chapter 5: Zero-Hour! The Clashing of Paths!**

We were up bright and early and Naruto was ready to hit the road early. We were shrugging our backpacks on when Granny appeared on the front porch, a sack thrown over her frail shoulder. She took a breath and we turned to face her until I really took a good look at her.

She had ditched her robes for a more casual look that included pants and wooden sandals. Her sack was overflowing with what looked like maps and other random supplies. Naruto blinked up at me and was just as confused as I was until it all finally clicked.

"Wh-what are you doing?" I asked her finally.

Granny adjusted the strap of her sack before folding her arms and nodding toward us. "Someone has to make sure you two survive this journey."

"What? No, you don't need to do that." I said. I was shocked but more than that I was a little angry. I didn't need her hanging over me. I didn't need to look at her and be reminded of what was to come either. I knew that her intentions were in the right place, knew that her heart was too, but that didn't mean I had to like any of it.

"That's fine." Granny said as she started down the steps. "I don't need permission."

"Granny—"

"I'm an old woman probably living out her final days and this is how you treat me, Miyuki?" Granny said.

I glared at her. "Which is all the more reason that you should stay put."

"She's right, Grams." Naruto said, his hands folded at the back of his head. "We still have a long way to go."

"I can keep up." Granny said, finally landing on the final step.

I pressed my lips into a tight line while Naruto snorted, unimpressed. Granny walked toward us and looked up at us, matching Naruto's expression.

"Besides, with all the luck you two have had up until this point, you might get lost." Granny huffed. "Now let's go. We don't want to miss the first boat out."

She started walking and we stared after her. Naruto looked back at the house before looking back at Granny.

"But what about your stupid cat?" He asked.

It was then that Granny's sack started to shift and moments later out popped Miroku's pink head and he hissed at Naruto whose eyes narrowed.

"He's coming with us of course." Granny said.

"Great." Naruto growled dryly and he started walking after them.

I stormed past him, stopping to match Granny's pace.

"Are you insane?" I growled right in her ear.

"I can handle myself." Granny said.

"You don't need to do this."

"I want to." Granny said before looking up at me. "There's a difference."

I blinked down at her, swallowing down my anger before looking away. I wasn't sure what this was about. If anything having her so close was a liability in itself. I had lost everything before and she was the last piece that I had to my old life. I couldn't guarantee her safety just as much as I couldn't guarantee Naruto's.

"Well, if you can keep up we're going to need to walk a lot faster, you hear?" Naruto asked, getting closer to us.

Granny glared up at him. "I'm old boy, not deaf."

Naruto glared back. "So build chakra to your feet to move faster."

"Granny's not a kunoichi." I said.

Naruto nearly choked. "N-not a—" Miroku hissed from within Granny's sack again and Naruto took a few steps to the side, putting distance between the two of them.

"Which means you have to carry her." I finished, earning a credulous look from Naruto.

"You're joking." Naruto said.

"Do you want to get there or not?" Granny asked. "Fighting like a buffoon isn't helping us get there any quicker."

He rolled his eyes before eyeing the sack on her back, probably weighing the odds.

"I'll carry you, Granny." I offered, knowing that if I were Naruto after all that, I wouldn't have bothered. I was just starting to lower myself when Naruto jumped in front of her and kneeled, offering his back. He had switched his backpack to the front and Granny stared between us before a light smirk lit her lips.

"Good choice, boy." Granny said as she climbed onto his back.

"Naruto I—" I began but it was too late. Granny was already on his back and he was looking at me, a small smirk on his lips, his blue eyes glowing.

"Let's keep moving." He said.

They walked off first and I stared after them for a moment. I was still mad at Granny but realized she had always been stubborn. The odds had shifted and not in my favor but I didn't have a choice. She was coming with us and she would do everything in her power to make sure her premonitions and readings didn't come true.

We walked for a few hours in relative silence though Naruto did occasionally argue with Miroku who hissed every time Naruto's step became just slightly shaky, which in the gnarled and slippery tree tops wasn't anything new. The mist hung heavy in the air and with it came a thick and almost suffocating humidity.

"We're almost at the port." Granny said just as Naruto let out a sigh.

"We should take a quick break." I said. "The port will be crowded this early in the day." It wasn't much of a lie but I could see the slight strain in Naruto's face. It wasn't that Granny was heavy, it was just that we had been going at it nonstop ever since we left her home at dawn.

We stopped in a small clearing and Naruto lowered so that Granny could slide off his back. I handed him a bottle of water which he took before gulping down. Granny set down her sack and dug inside only to pull out Miroku who looked a bit cranky.

"How are you holding up?" I asked Naruto.

He looked at me before looking up at Granny who was busy babying Miroku as she poured water into a small bowl for him.

"No complaints yet." He said.

"I'm sorry about Granny, but I swear she's like that with everyone."

Naruto smirked. "She's not all bad."

I smiled. "Yeah…she isn't."

"Could do without the cat though." Naruto added a few moments later.

I laughed, bringing a hand to cover my mouth and when I looked at Naruto I found that he was staring right at me, his smile gentle.

"Good." He said. "Got you to smile."

I felt the flush hit my cheeks almost instantly and the longer I stared into his eyes the more it grew. I couldn't explain the feeling it filled me with. It felt like relief, like I was a little bit lighter, a bit more at ease. It was as if I could forget all that troubled me if I just relaxed into it, if I basked in it. I looked away, trying to hide behind my hair. It felt weird and yet, at the same time, like the most natural thing in the world. Naruto didn't seem to mind my reaction and if anything it made his smile deepen. He was rising to his feet and was telling Granny something about hurrying up when I felt something wet land on my cheek.

I reached up and dragged my finger along the wetness and lifted it up to get a good look at it. It was black, like coal. I rubbed my fingers together, trying to get a feel for the liquid and found it to be slimy almost. Another drop of it fell, this one landing on a plant a few inches away and then there was another drop and then another and then it was coming down, landing on a startled Naruto and equally startled Granny. She slid Miroku into her bag just as I lifted my finger close to my nose to take a sniff.

"What is this?" Naruto asked, holding up his arm as the black liquid came down in a steady drizzle.

"Is this rain?" Granny asked.

My eyes widened. "It's oil."

"Oil?" Naruto asked looking back at me just as I smelled it, smoke, slicing through the air bringing the feeling of a steady heat from above.

I looked up and saw a few massive fireballs coming down toward us. It was to close and I knew that I didn't have time to dodge it or even reach for Granny. I could only jump to my feet and braced myself, my stomach tightening. As soon as the fireball burst through the tops of the trees, it ignited and as it touched down on the clearing, it exploded. The ground shifted, dust and debris flying upwards and the blast sent me flying back. I landed, hard, and as I struggled to my feet, I had to watch out for incoming debris as well. I rolled to the side just as a big piece of rock slammed into the spot I had just been in. I pushed myself to my feet as more debris came down from the thick mist and managed to dodge it all, but not before the impact of the pieces forced me off my feet again. I landed just as hard as the first time, my head slamming against a piece of rock.

My head was spinning and everything around me was silent as I stirred. I wasn't even sure if the impact had knocked me out for a while but as my eyes fluttered open all I saw was jagged pieces of rock and the same inescapable thick mist. I let out a heavy breath, feeling the stinging on the side of my head and knowing that the warmth I felt trickling down the side of my head was blood. I pushed myself up, coughing into my arm as I looked around.

I couldn't sense Naruto or Granny but a part of me knew that they had made it out of the blast zone safely. The blast had just separated us. I wiped at the side of my head with my arm when I heard a sickening chuckle ring out from the trees.

I looked up at them, my eyes struggling to make sense of the mist. I was seconds away from activating the Sharingan when I made out a figure standing on the highest branch in front of me. Shrouded in mist, I couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl. The chuckle had sounded masculine at first, but I wasn't sure about that either. It was haunting though, and it made the hairs on my arms rise. I thought back to the thugs Naruto and I had encountered over lunch and wondered if maybe those losers had followed us.

"Who's there?" I growled, feeling the weight of the figure's chakra. It was powerful, slightly overwhelming and I could sense that they had even greater control. There was no way it belonged to the thugs unless it was their boss…a boss even bigger and stronger than the one Naruto had fought. This chakra proved that the person was experienced and stealthy and had done a great job at getting past my senses unnoticed.

I wondered if it had been my fault. I had been distracted, had been blushing to what Naruto had said. I had been so focused on his words, so shocked, that my guard had dropped just slightly. I was suddenly angry with myself. I had completely forgotten one of the main shinobi rules-never let your guard down.

"My, my, my," A slow, trance-like voice said from beside me. I swung around to face it then and made out another figure, this one slender, their walk slow like a careful predator. "Look at how much you've grown."

My back straightened as recognition rocked me to my core. I knew that voice. I could never forget that voice. My knees wobbled and I stumbled back as the figure on the ground continued toward me, showing no signs of stopping.

"Stay back!" I demanded, my own voice shaking, which made the figures chuckle. It was synchronized and that was what scared me even more. My hand hovered over my weapons pouch but my hands were shaking too badly to throw anything. I knew when it came down to it I was in no state to fight. The memories were coming back then, in full force and in the distance, over their chuckles and in my head, I could hear screams and the cackling of flames.

"It's been far too long, Miyuki." The figure in the tree said, their voice as smooth and contained as silk. It was firm and powerful. Steady and amused. There was zero interest in their tone and I could only imagine their face, no, _his_ face. Ren.

"And yet, you still look just as pitiful as you did back then."

The enchantress, always amused, and always cruel. Her voice dripped with darkness and I could imagine the sneer on her lips and the smile that came shortly after. Always mysterious, like she was always in on her own private joke. Rukia.

"I said stay away!" I shouted, pulling a kunai out from my pouch but cutting myself along the palm of my hand in the process. I hadn't even grabbed the handle because my shaking was so bad, I had just felt for the sharpest weapon and pulled and now, the stinging in my hand proved it had been stupid.

She laughed and shortly after he joined in as they watched the fresh blood drip down the length of my arm, toward the grass below.

"What a waste." Rukia said before she stepped out of the fog. She still looked the same. Her head of dark purple hair, all askew and styled in her big fashion. The edges were cut every which way, but it was intentional, purposely. Her eyes were still as harsh as ever and were a dark, seedy shade of purple. She had dark eye make-up on, two black smudges around her eyes which only made her eyes glow that much more. Her skin was still fair and her lips were still curved in that familiar dog-like grin. She was wearing an intricate black one-piece suit made of leather in a deep crimson shade that tailed off at the back. Her stockings, fishnets, looked a little worse for wear but knowing her, I was willing to bet she had made the jagged holes herself. Her blade, a broadsword that featured two types of sharp blades, one longer than the other, was fastened on her back.

"Did you hurt yourself little lamb?" Ren asked from above. I looked up at him and found that he looked a little bit closer. I realized that he had jumped down a few feet. My jaw trembled. They were getting closer. I backed up some more and ended up tripping over a root. I landed and tried to scramble away when a kunai shot out from the mist and sliced my arm. I cried out, lifting my good hand to cover my wound when Rukia appeared in front of me.

I froze, unable to scream or cry out or even more. I blinked up at her, feeling hot tears forming in my eyes. She snickered in response and lifted her foot, bringing it down over my chest and pushing me to the ground.

"Still so weak and pathetic." She growled.

"After all these years…" Ren said, his voice even closer. I looked to the side and saw him standing against a tree trunk, his expression unamused, his purple eyes dead. My oldest brother, bearing a scar on the top of his left eyebrow from the sparring he had had with father a few years before the massacre. It had been an accident but I remembered Ren had never seemed to forgive him. He still wore his flak jacket, a dusty green color with his standard shinobi uniform underneath. His fingerless gloves which had once bore the Kirigakure's symbol, was now bare.

"And she's just as big of a disappointment as she was back then." Rukia said. "To think I actually thought that you would have gotten stronger."

"Or at the very least a little bit brighter." Ren said. "That makes this whole reunion a little less fun."

Rukia laughed her dog-ish laugh and looked back at Ren, her eyes dark. Ren stared at her, his eyes lidded, his expression empty and void of any emotion.

"Makes ending this all a little sad, doesn't it brother?" Rukia asked.

"But necessary nonetheless." Ren said folding his arms across his broad chest.

My eyes widened. This was it. This is what my life had come down to. The final fight with the people who had murdered my clan and I couldn't even breathe properly I was so frozen with fear. I could feel something wet come down on my face and it wasn't long before more drops fell. For a brief moment, I could feel Sayuri's blood splashing across my skin and that made my body tense up even more. I could feel it weighing my skin down and as the tears slid down my cheeks, the small rational part of me realized it was starting to rain.

"Let's do her the favor of ending it quickly, Rukia." Ren said.

"I was waiting years for this moment, Miyuki."' Rukia growled, sliding her blade out from its place on her back. "The least you could've done was make it worth my while."

I felt my insides twisting, felt my heart dropping. I lifted a single hand, remembering Orochimaru's mark, remembering what it meant. If I died…so would Karin and if Karin died…

"You-you can't kill me!" I managed.

"She speaks…" Ren said.

"Why the hell not?" Rukia growled, her eyes turning three shades darker. Nothing but blood lust lived behind them now.

"Be-because…" I breathed. "K-ki-kil-killing me would k-kill Ka-Ka-Karin."

They were silent for a moment and I thought they had been processing my words, turning them over. Killing me meant Itachi would be involved and if he had lived after their initial rejection from the Akatsuki, I was sure that had to mean something. Itachi was strong, I knew that and I hoped that meant he was stronger than them. I hoped that their meeting had left my brother and sister shaken to the core.

But, the sickening grin that took over Rukia's lips proved otherwise. Ren scoffed on the side, pulling his head back to the heavily clouded and blurry sky.

"Was that supposed to mean something to us?" He asked.

"It doesn't matter." Rukia growled. "That one can rot right alongside you."

"Bu-but the de-demon." I sniffed and the Rukia pressed her foot against my chest even harder, making me cough.

"I couldn't care a rat's ass about your stupid demon." She raised her sword high above her head and my heart felt like it had stopped in my chest. My blood ran cold. I stared up at the thick sword, my tears beginning to fall even faster. This was it.

 _This was it_.

"RASENGAN!"

Rukia was lowering the blade when her eyes darted to the side just as Naruto's blue ball of chakra came into view. She jumped back, barely dodging it in time. Naruto jumped over me, his attack disappearing as he turned to face my siblings, a determined look on his face.

"Miyuki!" Granny exclaimed, racing to my side and helping me sit up. "Oh you've been hurt!"

"What are you supposed to be?" Ren asked as he took Naruto in.

Naruto glared at him in response while Rukia straightened herself, running a hand through her mess of hair.

"Are you alright?" Granny asked, taking my good hand in hers. "Miyuki you're as cold as ice! You're shaking!"

"What did you do to her?" Naruto growled, his eyes dark, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.

"We didn't get a chance to do anything yet, brat." Rukia snapped. "Not before you barged in to ruin all of our fun."

"N-Naruto!" I managed as I pulled away from Granny's hold. "Do-don't do this!"

Ren snickered. "Naruto…Is that your name, boy?"

Naruto's glare hardened.

"That headband…you're a Leaf shinobi aren't you?" Ren asked. "Look at the fire in his eyes, Rukia."

"There's something else there." Rukia grinned, licking her lips. "I can practically _smell_ it on him."

"What are you, boy?" Ren asked, interest flashing in his eyes. "I can smell it too, Rukia."

Rukia steadied her blade. "It makes me want to cut him open even more."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto growled and I could see his body getting ready to attack. "Well, let's see you try it!"

He jumped then and formed hand signs. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" The clones appeared in multiple clouds of smoke and they all headed straight for Rukia and Ren. Rukia sliced away at the clones while Ren took the Taijutsu route, punching and kicking the clouds back into smoke.

"This all you have, boy?" Rukia growled, barely breaking a sweat as she dispelled the clones.

I could see it then, a group of Naruto's seeming to protect one in the middle. Rukia and Ren were distracted with the seemingly endless Naruto clones while the one a few feet away formed another Rasengan with the help of two others. The result was a bigger ball of chakra and the middle Naruto jumped into the air, his attack aimed for Ren.

At first, Ren didn't see him coming. It was Rukia who did. She pushed aside the clones coming toward her and raced to his side, meeting the Rasengan with her blade. Upon impact, the Naruto's attach made the ground beneath them shift and it wasn't long until clouds of dust shot up and Naruto's Rasengan sent them flying back. Trees snapped as their bodies slammed against trees and I could almost breathe a little easier if I hadn't caught sight of Ren shortly after. He appeared right beside Naruto almost instantly and didn't give him enough time to defend himself. Ren delivered a sickening kick to Naruto's stomach and as he stumbled back, Rukia appeared, her blade raised high.

"NARUTO!" I screamed, my tears sliding down my cheeks even faster.

He managed to block the hit but not completely. The blade came down on the space between his shoulder and neck and he grunted as he slid away. Blood seeped out of his wound, sliding down his arm, mixing with the blackness of his shirt.

I looked down at the spot where he had been before and saw a small trail of his blood and watched as it dripped from Rukia's blade. She was snickering and she lifted the blade high above her head, her tongue sticking out. As the blood dripped down the edge, the droplets landed in her open mouth, landing right on her waiting tongue.

If Naruto was freaked out by her, he didn't show it. In fact, his resolve seemed to get just as strong. I was freaked out on the other hand, remembering how Rukia used to lick the blood from her wounds in the same way and how the same look would cross her face. Happiness. Bliss. It excited her.

"I can taste it now, Ren." Rukia grinned, some of Naruto's blood dribbling down her chin. "Sweet."

"Don't get too excited, Rukia." Ren said. "The runt hasn't given us reason to yet."

Rukia let her sword drop to the ground, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"You're right, brother." Rukia said.

"This is bad." Granny said.

"Granny Aō!" Ren called. "Old woman, we haven't forgotten you."

Granny stiffened slightly but managed to keep a stern look on her face as she looked at them. "To think you made me a little excited."

"Once we finish this idiot, we'll come for you, Granny." Rukia called.

"I'm no grandmother to you spineless monsters!" Granny snapped, her body shaking with her rage.

Rukia laughed and Ren coughed into his hand before his lips curved into a smile.

"Feisty, Granny." Rukia said. "Don't get too feisty though, it's bad for the blood pressure."

"We should have killed you a long time ago, you old hag." Ren growled.

Granny's hands balled into tight fists.

"Be grateful that you've stayed alive as long as you have." He finished before starting toward us. As he walked the mist surrounding us thickened and it wasn't long before they blended into the mist.

"Naruto!" I called out to him but I couldn't see him anymore. He was hidden too. I was too scared to sense, too scared to pull my senses together. I couldn't see them. I couldn't do anything just like that day. They were right. I was just as pitiful now as I was back them. Still frozen with fear, the impenetrable kind, the kind that hung on the skin and pulled you down to the ground. The kind that made you feel like you were a shadow of your former self.

I knew I could dispel the mist but I couldn't bring myself to move. I could only stand there, on my knees, tears streaming down my fist while Granny gripped my shoulder, whispering nervous remarks into my ear. I could feel her fear and if I tried hard enough I could even feel a trace of Naruto's. I wanted to protect them. I wanted to defend them. But, I couldn't. Not like this and not now.

"Scared, little lamb." Ren's voice echoed and I shivered, sweat spreading over my back.

"Such a disappointment." Rukia's voice followed.

"Stay away from her!" Naruto shouted and my head whipped in his direction as the sound of clashing weapons sounded. Metal sliding against metal. I felt sick.

"Naruto!" Granny said as she steered me back toward her. Her palms pressed against the side of my face and she held me in place. "Miyuki, snap out of it."

I blinked at her, too terrified to do anything else. I couldn't even think anymore.

"Naruto needs you." Granny said. "He can't fight them alone, you know that!"

I did, somewhere deep, deep inside and yet…yet…I couldn't.

"He's a stubborn little thing isn't he?" Ren asked.

"It reminds you of someone, doesn't it?" Rukia asked, her voice all over.

"Who would that be, sister?" Ren asked, sounding a little out of breath. Weapons still clashed distantly and I assumed Naruto was keeping up somehow.

"Sayuri."

It was a breathless voice right beside my ear and my eyes widened as I was bombarded with memories. Sayuri. Little Sayuri with her big, wide, and innocent eyes. Her silky locks always over her face, her small hands always trying to pull it out from her eyes. I could see her then, my favorite sister playing out in the fields with everyone else, always clutching her bear, never willing to share him. She would stand by the fact that it was her bear. But that night she had clung to me, she had trusted me. She had believed me when I had told her everything would be alright. She believed me when I told her that we were safe.

I swung around just as Rukia punched me across the face. Granny cried out and just as Rukia was turning to hit her, something inside of me snapped. Without thinking, I pushed myself up and caught Rukia's arm, the one she was going to use to strike Granny.

"I won't let you!" I cried. "I won't let you hurt her too!"

Rukia narrowed her eyes at me. "Stupid girl." She pushed me away and I hit the ground just as she turned to face me.

"I forgot how bothersome you really were." Rukia said.

"Miyuki!" Granny called and stepped forward just as Rukia pushed her back.

"Granny!" I cried, feeling Rukia's blade against my throat a moment later. My eyes widened as her eyes darkened.

"This is it, little sister." She said.

My eyes widened.

"Any last words?"


	7. Chapter 6: As Silent as the Night Sasuke

**Chapter 6: As Silent as the Night! Sasuke Arrives!**

Her words echoed in my head. Last words? I had nothing to say. I had nothing at all really. I was just frozen all over again but I felt it for sure then, without a doubt of uncertainty that this was truly it. There was no saving me now, there was just the standing and taking it.

"MIYUKI!" Naruto burst out from the mist and Rukia stopped him with a finger, her blade pressing deeper against my neck, agitating my wound.

"It feels like she's already hurt." Rukia said. "Take one more step and my blade goes clean through."

He stopped in his tracks, sweat forming on his brow. Above, Ren chuckled and slowly, the mist started to clear. It was still heavy, but I could see a few feet out, make out the bark of a tree even.

Rukia smiled. "That made him stop."

"He listens." Ren said, appearing by a tree. "Good boy."

"Don't worry, Miyuki. I'll figure it out. I'll get us out of here." Naruto said, his eyes burning. "Believe it!"

"Bold promise, boy." Ren said. "Almost admirable."

"But not enough." Rukia said.

"Let her go." Naruto said. "Let both of them go."

"What would you give us in return?" Rukia asked, arching an eyebrow at Naruto.

Naruto's brow twitched. "You can have me."

"Naruto no!" I snapped and Rukia hushed me.

Ren chuckled. "Boy, what would we even do with you?"

"You don't interest us, kid." Rukia said. "But we'll do you both a favor," She said as her gaze turned back to me and her dark eyes bore into mine.

"We'll just end the both of you." Ren said.

"N-no!" I said as Ren shot forward.

"Please! Please! Don't hurt them!" I begged. "I'll do whatever you want! REN! REN, PLEASE!"

He stopped in his tracks and looked back at me as Naruto braced himself. Rukia chuckled and drew her blade back as I fell forward, landing on my elbows.

"Please! Just leave them out of this! I'm begging you!" I said.

"Miyuki!" Naruto said.

I looked at him and his eyes widened. "This doesn't involve you, Naruto! Just stay out of it! Please! It's the only way!"

"There is another way!" Naruto growled, his eyes hard.

I shook my head, my tears falling faster, making the dirt beneath my palms damp.

"No-no." I breathed. "You don't get it."

"Don't give up!" Naruto growled.

I stiffened.

"Don't give up! It's not over yet! We're still in this!" Naruto said.

"I've heard enough of you, kid!" Ren said, appearing beside Naruto and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. In one swift motion, he pushed him against the bark of a tree and I watched as Naruto cried out in pain. I could almost feel his pain myself, spreading along my spine like fire.

"Naruto!" Granny shouted.

"I've heard enough out of all of you." Rukia said, pulling back her sword once more. "I hope you're ready, sister."

I stared up at her, as the feelings in my legs faded.

"Time to join the others!" She shouted as she brought down her sword.

"MIYUKI!" Naruto shouted.

The blade was swinging down toward me and I could almost feel the pain it would cause. How easily it would slice through my skin, my muscles, my tendons, my bones. I would fall, my blood pooling under me just as it had that night and I knew this time, this time she wouldn't stop there. Rukia would keep going until she was sure, one hundred percent sure, that I was dead and I wouldn't be coming back.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact but…it never came. It was only when I heard her grunting that my eyes opened and I looked up. I heard it then, the familiar crackling of birds, of thousands of swarming birds. Then there was that familiar blue light, like lightening, and it was holding Rukia's blade away, keeping it from striking me. I followed the length of the arm, wondering exactly how Naruto had learned the Chidori until I saw him from the corner of my eye looking just as dumbfounded as I felt.

I looked up and saw a head of black, spiky hair with two long pieces coming down along the sides. There was a stern face underneath it, with familiar dark eyes and a strong jaw. They were disinterested, bored almost but not in the same way as Ren. No, this person was different. It was only when their dark eyes shifted to my face that I recognized him and though his clothes were different, it was still him.

My eyes widened, my tears stilling. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even bring myself to believe and yet…there he was. In the flesh.

"S-Sasuke." I managed just as he pushed Rukia's blade away with little to no effort. I found that his arm was shrouded in lightening and as soon as her blade was away, the lightening stopped.

"Great, another one." Ren growled.

Rukia's eyes narrowed. "No…this one is different." She looked him over and her lips turned up at the edges. "This one smells foul."

"Sasuke?" Naruto breathed, still stunned and rightly so.

Where had he even come from?

"Those eyes…" Ren said. "On second thought, Rukia…you might be onto something."

"Where have we seen those eyes before?" Rukia asked, looking at Ren for confirmation.

Ren narrowed his eyes and it was clear they couldn't place it. They didn't know who Sasuke was.

"You win this time, sister." Ren called. "But don't worry your pretty little head, we'll be back for you."

"We'll be back for you real soon." Rukia echoed and a moment later, they were gone.

Suddenly, I could breathe easier and Naruto righted himself, placing a hand over his chest. Granny sat up, rubbing the side of her head as she blinked up at Sasuke.

"Who are you?" She asked.

Sasuke stared down at me and if he was happy to see me, you couldn't tell. I flashed back to all our moments together since he had left Konoha. I could feel his fingers drawing circles against my skin, feel his lips against mine. Everything so real, so consuming and yet, where had he been? Where had been all these months?

I rose to my feet and he followed me, his eyes empty. I was furious and at the same time, I was overwhelmed. Seeing him, in the flesh. I didn't give it another moment's thought and I threw myself at him, my arms wrapping around his neck, my head tilting as I captured his lips in a kiss. He didn't stiffen but I heard the audible gasp behind me. I pulled him close, my lips desperate as they tried in vain to get his to have some sort of reaction. I pulled away a moment later, frustrated and studied his expression while Naruto gawked on the side.

Nothing. Nothing had changed. He hadn't even flinched with my kiss.

I was enraged then, my hands trembling and I lifted my good hand. I wasn't even sure what I wanted to do yet but when his lips curved into the slightest of ghostly smirks, my hand went for it. I slapped him, clean across the face and the force made his head turn to the side. I watched as a red mark started to form on his cheek and I felt no sympathy.

Naruto's eyes were like saucers as he stared between us, too stunned to form words. But, I was out of things to say or even do for that matter.

"You're such a jerk!" I shouted before turning to stomp away. I was so mad, I could barely look at him then. Who did he think he was? How could he just swoop in and act the way he did? How could he just pretend like everything that happened a year ago hadn't? He had a lot of nerve and then that smirk? That _smirk_? Of all things? Like this was a joke. Like _I_ was a joke.

His hand caught my wrist before I could get away from him and I struggled to jerk my arm free.

"You really think that's the best idea right now?" His voice made my knees wobble. The same, just a little bit deeper but still the same. I could feel his breath rushing along the side of my neck, feel his lips tracing against my ear. I flushed at the memories while still struggling against his hold.

"It's better than staying here and looking at you!" I growled.

"Wait…wait…" Naruto said, his head shaking from side to side. "What the heck is happening here?"

"Miyuki's just being immature." Sasuke said.

My eyes widened and I gave one good pull, my arm ripping away from his hold as I fixed a hard glare on him. "Don't you _dare_ call me immature!"

"That's not what I meant." Naruto said, his eyes dark as we turned to face him. "I mean…not completely…but it's just…what are you…Sasuke what are you…what are you doing here?"

…

I couldn't bring myself to look at him. Just the mere thought alone made me want to slap him all over again. Sasuke hadn't said anything after Naruto had spoken and it became obvious that he wasn't going give an answer.

But, for whatever reason when Granny suggested we rest and try to patch ourselves up, he had come with us, hanging on the outside of our circle. I hadn't bothered looking at him and instead went out to find water. I hadn't even let Granny get a word in as I stomped off and Naruto had even started to call after me too but I had ignored him.

I had been gone for about half an hour and ended up walking past the small creek that had been closer to everyone and instead chose a small lake about a mile away. It was calmer there, the water still and smooth and the clearing surrounding it was just as quiet. I knew running off on my own after everything that had happened was stupid, but I was past the point of caring. Whatever happened, happened.

I hugged myself, remembering the very last time I had seen him. It was crazy how long ago it had been and it had always felt just like yesterday. As much as I had wanted to push the thought of him out of my mind, away from my dreams, he had always been there. But, had he thought of me the way I had thought of him? Had he ever dreamed of me too?

That day, the last day, we had been in another yet secluded hotel, this one near the Land of Waves. It had started like every other one of our rendezvous, the two of us unable to keep our hands off of each other. We had been resting, staring out into the small balcony of our private room. Outside I could hear birds chirping in the trees and the quiet rustling of leaves. It was nice, it was relaxing and it felt like our own little oasis away from everything. I remembered slipping away from the boys and from Sensei, how I had lied about having to run a few errands. I had claimed it was for Granny, said that I was going to gather special herbs for her. Everyone had bought it, no one had batted an eyelash and I had sworn that I was getting away with it until Sensei had volunteered to come along half way. I had walked alongside her filled with nerves while she had rattled on and on about Kakashi. If she had noticed how nervous I was, she didn't say anything and if she had noticed my eyes scanning the trees, she pretended not to. Regardless, until we parted ways, I had convinced myself that my nerves were obvious and for all I knew Sensei could have been watching us through the blinds.

 _"_ _Something wrong?"_

His voice had startled me out of my thoughts and I snuggled closer to him and it felt like instinct. I loved the feeling of his skin underneath my cheek, loved the curve of his muscles beneath my fingertips. I could smell him too, a deep forest scent with the freshness that reminded me of the ocean. It was addictive and simple, but it was what I clung to and I needed it, like an addict needs their choice of poison.

 _I pressed a light kiss to his chest and licked my lips, stealing a glance up at him. He was staring down at me, his onyx eyes studying and careful as they took me in. I had forced a light smile, telling myself that no matter what, I wouldn't care if we got caught or not. What mattered was the moment we were in._

 _"_ _I was just thinking…" I said. "About us."_

 _He said nothing, just continued to look down at me before he looked away and let out a sigh. It wasn't something to make me arch my brow and he didn't sound fed up. I had never questioned us, had never really given much thought to whatever we were. I had been focused on him, on holding him in my arms, of being with him but I had never thought about anything more than that. It hadn't been a lie exactly, but the last thing I had wanted was to worry about the outside world. I hadn't wanted to think about the end when every moment with him felt like the beginning._

 _"_ _What about us?" He asked finally, his chest subtly moving up and down as he breathed. I smoothed my hand further across him, my fingers fanning out, electricity shooting up through my fingertips in response. I wanted him all over again._

 _"_ _We've been doing this…for a while now." I had pointed out. I had traced invisible circles onto his chest before my nails came across the scratch marks on his chest. He hadn't flinched because they weren't that_ _deep and I had wondered briefly if they had come from his training with Orochimaru._

 _Just thinking of him made my stomach twist nervously and I peeked up at Sasuke again, waiting for some sort of reaction, some sort of encouragement to continue. But, he stared off at nothing, his expression still the same but there was something there, something new beginning to form._

 _"_ _Don't you miss me when you're there…when you're training with…him?" I swallowed and realized not only that the scratch marks had come from me but that the new emotion brewing on his face, behind his eyes, was frustration. He knew where I had been going with our conversation and he knew before the words had come out what my intentions were before I even knew._

 _"_ _I told you that I don't want to talk about him or my training." I could feel his body beginning to tense, feel his anger building. I didn't want to upset him but it angered me that after all our time together, he refused to speak about anything concerning Orochimaru._

 _I shifted and that was all the invitation he needed to move away from me completely. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tense. But, just as his anger grew, mine began to brew and bubble. A year. We had snuck around for a year, grown closer in more ways than one and it had been moments like that one, that made me think that nothing had really changed at all._

 _"_ _I don't understand you." I said, pushing myself up, torn between wanting to argue and pulling him back. He glanced back at me._

 _"_ _I tell you everything and I ask one simple question and you shut down like this?"_

 _"_ _I'm not shutting down."_

 _"_ _Well, you're kicking me out." I snapped. "And that's pretty much the exact same thing."_

 _"_ _In whose eyes?" He growled, his eyes sharp as they cut over to me. It made me jump slightly. Such a hateful look, such darkness shining behind his eyes. It had always been that look that allowed me to see the Sasuke that had pushed a Chidori into Naruto's chest, narrowly missing his heart in the process._

 _I hugged the sheets closer to my body, feeling the anger heat my cheeks in response. The nerve of him!_

 _"_ _You're being impossible." I managed._

 _He scoffed and stood up, grabbing his clothes off the floor before pulling them on quickly. I watched him, my eyes widening._

 _"_ _Where are you going?" I asked, my voice a little frantic._

 _He glared at me. "I don't need this."_

 _"_ _What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, scrambling out of bed, struggling to grab at my clothes and hold the sheet in place._

 _"_ _I didn't ask for one of your lectures." He grumbled. "I'm leaving. I've stayed past my time."_

 _"_ _N-no! You can't leave! We're not done here! I say one thing and you run away?"_

 _"_ _I'm not running away!"_

 _"_ _Then what are you doing right now? Running back to him? You need to fix us!"_

 _"_ _There is no_ _ **us**_ _!" Sasuke snapped, his Sharingan awakening in his eyes as he shot me the most hateful glare yet. I was stunned, to stunned to form proper words, too stunned to do anything else other than stare at him. Was he…was he…had he just…had he just said those words?_

 _They had hung in the air, lingered in the corners of the room. My stomach tightened and I was starting to feel sick when he continued, when his glare softened only a little._

 _"_ _I told you that you were important to me but there are other things that overpower you."_

 _I felt used and stupid. Naïve and like a joke. Megumi-sensei had warned me about falling for him. Gaara and Neji had hinted at the storm behind his eyes, at the fire I had been throwing myself into. Temari had told me that I wouldn't be able to fix him, that it was futile to even think that I could._

 _But, I had ignored them and look where it had gotten me._

 _I felt smaller than myself and just as fast as I had stepped onto the hard wood floor, I was easing back down to the bed, the blow from his words making it harder to breathe. He had a point. Though I was important, though he needed to see me every few weeks, he had other obligations, a whole list of other things that he was invested in. A part of me should have been grateful he was even finding time for me at all. A part of me should have never brought up Orochimaru or his training. That part of me should have stayed in our blissful embrace but I had chosen otherwise, letting a whole different side of me take over._

 _"_ _Maybe this was a bad idea." Sasuke said and I felt a pain shot across my chest. He always said that after our fights and it always made me feel even worse. The thought of him regretting what we had, all that we had done in the past year…it pained me._

 _"_ _Don't…don't say that." I swallowed, the lump in my heart making it difficult._

 _He looked away, his Sharingan fading from his eyes. It had been accidental, a mere knee-jerk reaction. His anger had merely gotten the best of him and it wasn't easy to hold back his Kekkei Genkai. But, that didn't make the sting from seeing it any better. He had turned it on me like I was an enemy and he had looked ready to use it too._

 _"_ _It's always the same thing." He said, irritation making his brow twitch. "What's the point if all you do is remind me of what was?"_

 _I had looked at him, the pain in my chest growing._

 _"_ _You said you needed me." I said._

 _He looked at me and for the first time seemed to think carefully about his answer. It infuriated me._

 _"_ _And don't say that you regret it now! I know you don't! I know you care about me!"_

 _He didn't say anything, he just continued to stare at me with his semi-disgusted expression. I wondered if he regretted it all then. I wondered if he wished to turn back time and that our moment in that small restaurant where we first officially met two and a half years ago had never happened._

 _"_ _I'm leaving."_

There had been no promise of any other visit then and while my stomach dived at the realization, I told myself that he would be back to rattle off a location. I told myself that there was no way he would leave me, not like that. But, when he turned and walked out of the room, he had done just that.

I closed my eyes and when I opened them a few moments later, I could still hear the door slamming closed behind him. There was so much more that I had had to say and I felt even after that he had known the same. There had been no denial, no acceptance, no acknowledgment just his desire to leave.

The trees rustled behind me and my stomach tightened as I swung around to face whatever was coming. But, Sasuke stepped out and I couldn't help the glare that took over my eyes in response to seeing him. He said nothing, just walked right past me to the water's edge, his hands in the pockets of his shorts.

I looked at him before the urge to push him into the water took over and realized I had reached a whole new level of immaturity. I pushed myself to my feet, dusting myself off before I turned and headed back where I came. I wasn't sure how he had found me but I at the same time I knew he'd be able to.

"Running off again?" He asked.

I bit my bottom lip, telling myself to calm down. He knew just what to do to always get under my skin. He knew just what to say to make me want to throttle him the same way he knew what to do to make me want him.

I glanced back at him and saw his infamous subtly amused smirk. He looked arrogant and I wanted nothing more than to do whatever it took to watch his little smile fade.

"Stay away from me." I said before giving him my back.

I felt him me a second later and I froze, my hands balling into tight fists at my sides. I wanted to leave, I could feel it screaming at me from every corner of my mind, but my body had other plans.

He placed a hand on my shoulder and my breath hitched in my throat. He turned me around a moment later and I let him. I stared at the center of his chest, remembering what it looked like without clothing, what it felt like beneath my palm.

"I'm sorry." He said and it made my body tremble. I looked up at him, feeling my eyes beginning to water. He didn't look like he meant it, but then again he never looked like he meant much of anything. There had a been a moment during our sneaking around where I would have been able to get more of a reaction out of him. We had been so close back then, so happy and now…now I couldn't even begin to figure out how I had made such a thing happen at all.

But, I knew we were past saying sorry. He had hurt me, badly. He had pushed me away, told me that I was basically nothing to him and now he was holding my shoulder almost tenderly. I pulled away. I didn't want his apologies. I wanted time to think.

"Don't touch me." I said and pulled away from his touch, my tears stinging in my eyes.

He said nothing at first, but he watched as my tears spilled over and started sliding down my cheeks. He reached up to wipe a tear away and I sniffed, lifting my hands to rub at my eyes. I didn't want his sympathy. I didn't want his temporary concern either. But, a part of me did want him, a part of me knew that I would always want him and I hated that part. I didn't want him and yet, I wanted him to embrace me, pull me close and kiss my tears away.

"I never stopped thinking about you." He said and my heart felt like someone had reached in and squeezed it.

"Stop." I sniffed, my word barely audible as I began to sob.

His hand returned, even softer this time, to my shoulder and his other slid up my arm.

"I could never stop caring for you either." He said, his voice low, even closer. I could feel his breath warm against the side of my cheek.

"Stop." My tears fell faster, my body trembled. His hands gripped my shoulder and I could feel that he had gotten even closer to me, that he was just moments away from giving me what I wanted. A hug, tender kisses up and down my damp cheeks.

"I've missed you." He said, against my ear and that was when I reacted, when my hands reached up and pressed against his chest, pushing me away. He didn't let me go so easily and even though his body jerked back, he didn't stumble.

"YOU LEFT ME!" I shouted through my sobs. "You left me! You left and you never came back!"

I was hitting him then, my hands slapping onto his chest as I struggled to escape from him. He held on through all of it but when my slaps turned into punches, he caught my wrists and pulled them behind my back. I fell forward, and sobbed into his chest. I felt myself on the edge of hysteria, as my pain radiated through my chest.

"I know." He said, hugging me then, pulling me against him. One of his hands got tangled in my hair while the other held my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"There's no excuse for it." He mumbled into my hair.

"Why…" I sniffed against him.

"You wouldn't understand." He continued. "If I told you…besides it isn't much of an excuse. There was an alternative I just didn't take it."

I pulled back and his hands slid on either side of my face. He wiped my stray tears away with his thumbs and slowly, tilted my head up. I stared up at him, my heart starting to pound. It felt good to see him again, to feel the warmth of his body, the feeling of his hands. It felt good to be under his stare and hear the sound of his voice. For the first time, the thought of him wasn't haunting my dreams. He was here, in the flesh. After six months, he was standing right in front of me, had saved me even.

"I should hate you." I sniffed.

His eyes softened and he leaned forward slowly. A moment later his lips pressed lightly against mine and the tears formed all over again. It was a gentle kiss but it was growing in intensity and my hands gripped at the fabric of his shirt. I wanted him, wanted to put it all behind us. I knew it was wrong. One simply couldn't forget what had happened between us, the epic fights at the end of every encounter. It wasn't good, but none of that mattered whenever I looked at him. All that mattered were the feelings between us, my undying need to be with him, to be in his arms.

But, I was filled with an anger that made my belly tighten. As badly as I wanted him, as badly as I wanted to forget, I couldn't. I couldn't let him pull me in. I wasn't ready. I pushed away from him, breaking our kiss and lowered my head. I licked my lips, my tears falling down my face again.

"I can't…I can't do this." I managed, my voice shaking.

He didn't say anything as he let me pull away from him. I shot him one final glance before turning away from him completely.


	8. Chapter 7: The Truth Escapes! Journey in

**Chapter 7: The Truth Escapes! Journey into the Clouds!**

I had been running through the forest, not really paying attention when I turned a corner and ran right into Naruto who caught me before I could fall.

"H-hey." He greeted. "I was just heading out to find you."

I blinked up at him and nodded steadying myself as his hands dropped from my arms.

"That old bag of bones was getting impatient." He said, scratching the back of his head.

I forced a smile but the truth was just moments before I had run into him, I had been crying. It was why I wasn't paying attention, because my vision was so blurry. But, the impact of us knocking into each other had knocked the tears clean out of my eyes. Looking up at him, something in his expression changed as he stared at me, his own face holding onto a hint of sadness. I was trying to smile through the pain, through the obviousness of my sorrows but it was clear that Naruto saw right through it.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked, his voice soft and gentle.

I knew I didn't have the right to cry in front of him. I had kept Sasuke a secret for so long. I should have told Naruto about it the moment our paths crossed. But, I hadn't and realized now that if I were in his shoes, I'd be royally pissed.

"I'm sorry." I said, wiping at my eyes.

He stared down at me and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants. "It's okay."

"I know you must have so many questions…and this wasn't the way I wanted you to find out…and I'm sorry, so, so sorry."

He was lifting a hand to place on my shoulder when a voice called out from the trees.

"It wasn't any of his business regardless."

His hand froze just over my shoulder and we turned just as Sasuke emerged from behind a tree and I wondered how long he had been there. I had expected him to linger back in the clearing but he had followed right after me. He glared between Naruto and I and his eyes lingered on Naruto's hand, staying on it until Naruto pulled it away.

"It involves him now, so it's all the same." I snapped, surprised by my own intensity. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

He stared at me before looking at Naruto. It was a good question, one that Naruto had been trying to figure out. I doubted he had been taking a stroll through the forest and just happened upon us. He just wasn't the type.

"I'm looking for something." He said.

"For what, exactly?" A new voice asked.

We all looked just in time to see Granny emerge from the brush holding Miroku in her arms.

Sasuke blinked at her and scoffed. "Not entitled to say."

I glared at him. "Answer her."

He stared at me, his lips pressing into a tight line.

"It doesn't matter." Naruto said. "He doesn't have to say anything."

"Naruto." I said, turning to him. I doubted Sasuke could be so cruel to be planning something, to be planning on hurting Naruto. He had hurt him enough, scorned him enough during their fight. Sasuke having ulterior motives…it wasn't like him but I was sure spending a year and some with Orochimaru could change people. I remembered how bloodthirsty I had been under his tutelage.

"We're running out of time anyway." Naruto said. "We have to keep going."

"Going where?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing.

Naruto looked at him. "We're heading to a place a little outside of the Cloud Village."

Sasuke stared at him and I studied the two of them, the stillness in their eyes as they took the other in. They looked ready to fight all over again and I stepped in front of Naruto, breaking his trance.

"You're right." I said.

"If we don't hurry, we won't make it off the island." Granny said. "We have to make it before dusk."

We didn't hold off any longer. Naruto and I grabbed our backpacks and as we started to head off, Sasuke announced that he was heading in the same direction and he: "Might as well stick with us a little longer".

Naruto had no reaction and even though I had a good amount to say, one look at Granny proved otherwise. We didn't have time for arguments, we had to make it to the docks. We reached the port fifteen minutes before the last boat was set to depart and as we piled on, Granny adjusted her glasses and took a good look at Sasuke.

"This one…this one…is very handsome." She clucked before shooting me a glance. "Let my grandchildren come from him."

I glared at her while Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Of all the things to talk about!" Naruto groaned.

"Granny, not right now." I said crossing my legs.

"Don't be upset dopey boy." Granny said looking Naruto over. "Maybe in a few more years you'll be just as handsome."

He glared at her and looked about ready to climb over and fight her when Miroku hissed from deep within Granny's bag. Any chance of fighting after the sound made Naruto slink back into himself and he settled with a pout.

"Who is this woman?" Sasuke asked, seeming unimpressed with Granny.

"My name is Lady Aō." Granny said extending a hand delicately to which Sasuke merely stared down at. When it became clear he wasn't going to take it, she lowered her hand and looked at me.

"Has attitude though…" She looked me over. "Don't marry him, just bear the children."

"Granny!" I said as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, curse a woman for trying to lighten the mood between you three." She said as she stared between us. "I mean just look at you all, pitiful."

I knew she had a point and that she wasn't being difficult. Even I had noticed the quiet change in Naruto. He wasn't that loud anymore and the glances he kept shooting in Sasuke's direction were painfully obvious at least to me. If Sasuke noticed, he pretended not to.

I glanced at Sasuke, remembering the feeling of his lips against mine in the forest. He was sitting as far away from us as possible, his body at an angle and his gaze was cast out toward the ocean. He seemed pensive yet calm, perfectly relaxed and at peace.

"What's your name again, boy?" Granny called to Sasuke.

He didn't stir. In fact, he pretended not to hear her but I did see his brow twitch with irritation. He didn't like her and he didn't even know her. In fact, he hadn't even had two minute's worth of conversation with her. I balled my hands into tight fists at my sides. He was being a jerk.

"His name is Sasuke." Naruto sighed, earning a look from Sasuke.

"Sasuke…Sasuke what?" Granny asked.

"Uchiha." I said before either of the boys could respond.

"Sasuke Uchiha…" Granny said and seemed to be thinking over his name the same way she had thought over Naruto's. She didn't shoot Sasuke another glance but she dug in her sack and pulled out a thermos that I assumed was filled with her signature tea, the same one that she had forced Naruto and I to drink. Within her bag, Miroku stirred and just as she started pouring the tea into two small mugs, he popped his pink head out and looked around.

"Here." Granny said handing me a mug. She rose from her seat and walked over to Sasuke and handed him the other.

I looked around the boat, my eyes scanning the faces of the other riders. Nothing but blank faces and a few thoughtful expressions. Everyone was pleasantly unaware of us four of us who had taken seats toward the back of the boat.

"Take it." Granny said, offering the mug to Sasuke. "Drink all of it too. It's bad to be wasteful."

Sasuke stared at the mug, his brow twitching even more as his dark eyes lifted to Granny's face. I wasn't sure what chip had landed on his shoulder, but I didn't like it. I wasn't sure if it had been his rejection in the forest and it angered me that he was upset about it. After everything, I felt that the only one who had any right to be upset was me.

"I don't want any." Sasuke grumbled at her before turning away.

Granny stared down at him, her hands still extended. It hadn't been a question, it had been a command. In her eyes, Sasuke didn't have any other choice and I knew by the glint in her eye that she wanted more than anything to get some sort of read on him. This was her only way, an attempt at glancing into whatever his future held.

He glared at her when she didn't move and I rose from my seat just as Naruto spoke.

"Just take it." He sighed. "And drink it, Sasuke. Stop being a jerk."

Sasuke glared at him. "Shut up."

"Stop it." I said, reaching Granny's side. I placed a hand over hers and pulled her back. "Granny, don't bother. Just leave him alone."

Naruto turned to glare back at Sasuke. "Everything was fine before you came along. You practically begged to come with us anyway. You could've gone the other way."

"Funny how you three are already making me regret my decision."

"Then leave. Go on. Swim back to shore."

Their glares hardened and I could see their bodies tensing.

"Stop it." I said, putting my cup on my seat before I stepped in front of them. "We're on a crowded boat. Fighting isn't the best idea right now."

"Hmph." Sasuke said, crossing his arms and standing up at the exact same time Naruto did. They took a step toward each other.

"What's so funny?" Naruto asked, his teeth grinding together.

"You." Sasuke said. "After all this time, you're still a loser. You're an even bigger one now."

Naruto's hands balled into tight fists at his sides. "Oh yeah? Well you're an even bigger jerk than you were before. Is that what he's teaching you?"

Sasuke was standing in front of him a moment later and my heart was in my throat as he reached up and grabbed a fistful of Naruto's shirt.

Heads were starting to turn in our direction and I quickly raced to their side, struggling to separate the two of them.

"Stop it! You're being an idiot right now." I growled up at Sasuke.

"I'm getting stronger." Sasuke growled. "Not that you'd know anything about that."

Naruto smirked and that made the grip on his shirt tighten. "Well there's only one way to find out for sure."

"Naruto." I said, turning back to face him.

Sasuke snickered. "You want to fight me, Naruto?"

"You said it." Naruto growled, reaching up and grabbing a fistful of Sasuke's shirt.

"Stop it! Both of you!" I said, grabbing at their shoulders, struggling to pull them apart.

"I should've killed you back then." Sasuke said, his voice low and my eyes widened as I turned to face him slowly. The fist-sized hole in Naruto's chest. The blow that had been just inches away from his heart. I remembered it all as if it had happened yesterday and I remembered what had come with it. The overwhelming shock, the disbelief that Sasuke could do it. But he had.

"Devastation." Granny said. We all looked over to her and found her back in her seat, Sasuke's tea cup in her hand.

"That's what I see when I look in your eyes, boy." Granny said, nodding toward Sasuke. "But there's something even darker just behind it."

Sasuke pushed away from Naruto and headed back to his seat. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, probably trying to drown out the sound of Granny's voice.

"Darkness…pain…loneliness…hatred…" Granny said, thinking harder with each word. "I can't seem to put a finger on it."

"Don't try too hard." Sasuke said.

I glared at him. "Stop it, Sasuke."

His eyes opened and he looked at me. We stared each other down until he turned and looked away.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you picking fights with us?" I asked. "If you were going to do this, why bother coming with us?"

He didn't answer. He just continued staring out at the passing ocean and I rolled my eyes, easing back down to my seat. I grabbed my mug and was about to down the tea when Granny reached over and poured it all back into her thermos.

"Another time." Granny said smoothly, sealing it before tossing it back into her bag.

"He's just being moody, Granny. It's nothing." I said.

"How long?" Granny asked as she sealed her bag.

I blinked at her. "Huh?"

"You kissed him earlier." Granny said and Naruto stiffened in his seat. He had sat down shortly after me and had been looking out at the ocean on the opposite side.

I blushed, remembering that moment as much as I remembered the other one. I had missed him so much that the emotion had consumed me. Then, a moment later, the moment we broke away, the rage had set in.

I glanced at Naruto, knowing that even though he was trying to pretend like he wasn't listening, I knew he was all ears. I also knew on some level, Sasuke was listening as well.

"I…we…it's been…" I looked down at my feet and wiggled my toes in my sandals. "It's almost been three years."

Naruto looked at me and I blushed under his gaze, unable to meet his expression fully.

Granny clucked her tongue and folded her arms looking very sage-like and all-knowing as she eased into her seat. Miroku purred from within the bag and I watched as his body shifted around inside.

"And why did you hit him?" Granny asked, her voice low.

Pain shot across my chest and I could feel my tears coming. It felt like too much to think about. I didn't want to bring it all forward again but I didn't have a chance when it came to Granny.

"Because…because…he left…he left me." I managed, my voice trembling. I lifted a hand and covered my mouth as hot tears began to well up in my eyes.

"And what was his crime?" Granny asked.

"He left his village." Naruto said, his forehead protector glistening even though the sun was hidden in the dense fog.

Granny nodded. "So he's a rogue shinobi… and you were consorting with him all this time?"

I could hear it then, the disappointment in her voice. I looked away, a few stray tears sliding out as I sniffed. It was wrong, I knew it, but what else was I supposed to do? What did she want me to do?

"Foolish, child." Granny said, making my cheeks burn.

"It's not her fault." Naruto said, like it was an instinct. He didn't know the half of it and yet he was defending me. I wiped at my tears and looked at him.

"So he's rogue now, so what?" Naruto asked. "We're gonna bring him back, heck I'll drag him back if I have to by the end of this."

Granny looked at him while I could only blink at him. He had promised the same thing over a year ago and I had believed him, had vowed to get even stronger but I had lost sense of it. I had allowed my desire for Sasuke, my selfishness to be the only one he saw to get the better of me. I had only thought of me, of me and no one else.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." I said, looking away.

Granny looked toward the front of the boat. "It's fine, we're almost hitting land anyway."

I looked up just in time to see the shadow of a mountain in the distance. Land, land so close and just minutes away. In a few more minutes we'd be there and far from this stuffy boat with all these mixed emotions onboard.

We rode the rest of the way in silence and the moment the boat docked, people started to pour out. We moved through the crowd and Granny stopped by a tourist booth to pull out my map. She looked it over and pointed at the Frost Village to the west.

"We're going to need warmer clothing, heavier cloaks or something." Granny said. "It's not too cold right around now, but it's certainly cold for what we're wearing right now."

I nodded. Cutting across the Frost Village was the only way. Sure, a boat could be rented but the water between the Cloud Village and the Graveyard was unmarked territory and the waters were unsafe.

"Fair enough." Naruto said as he stretched. "Where do we get that?"

"Any shop will do but we can get it when we get closer. The snow doesn't start until a few kilometers west. There are plenty of shops between there." Granny said.

We didn't argue and continued forward. Sasuke stayed with us, moving just behind us, seeming bored and disinterested. I wanted to ignore him, but I found that it was hard. Every now and then I needed to steal a glance in his direction. Naruto just ignored him completely and kept one foot in front of the other, his eyes trained forward. I realized that he was stronger than me emotionally. He could resist while I was torn between sidling next to Sasuke and walking alongside Naruto.

Late into the night, Granny insisted we set up camp in a clearing as we worked wordlessly, she started a fire at the center. Once it was lit, we gathered around it and I reached over it, warming my hands. Miroku relaxed into Granny's lap while Naruto ate his instant ramen. He had offered me some while Granny started cooking and mumbling that ramen was hardly a meal. Naruto responded with an eye roll and pronounced slurping of his noodles which made me giggle.

Half an hour later, Granny announced dinner was almost ready and Sasuke rose to his feet. We said nothing as he walked into the forest, disappearing into the darkness but I stared after him, feeling the tension in Naruto's body. The urge to run after him filled me and I looked at Granny who was pretending not to notice.

I didn't want to go right away, didn't want to be so obvious. So I held it in. I held it in as dinner started, held it in even after while painfully counting down the hours that he had been gone. As we settled into our sleeping bags, I stared at the spot he had disappeared into and just as Naruto's and Granny's breathing steadied, I got up. I grabbed the leftover food and a few rice balls and headed after Sasuke.

I walked for a while, noting how stupid I was being. After his recklessness on the boat ride, the last thing I should have been doing was bringing him food. But, I felt bad for him. I felt bad just turning my back on him. He was a jerk, a big one, but somewhere deep inside of him, I knew that that wasn't the real him. He was being overly defensive, trying to nurse the pain brought on by my rejection of him. At the end of the day, no matter how upset he made me, I cared for him and no amount of anger or frustration could turn me away from him.

"What do you want?"

The voice came from above and jolted me from my thoughts. I looked up at the treetops and spotted him sitting high above in one of the branches, the moonlight shining bright above him.

I gripped the container with his food and swallowed.

"I figured you were hungry."

"I'm not." He said right after and averted his attention back toward the east.

I chewed the inside of my cheek and fought the urge to snap at him. He was being mean because he hadn't gotten his way and because his ego was bruised. It was childish, maybe even petty, but when I thought back to all of our fights beforehand, they had more or less been the same way.

"Are you upset because I pushed you away?" I asked.

He didn't answer and I glanced up at him.

"Or are you upset because of Granny?"

"I came out here to escape all of your obnoxious voices."

"Why are you here, Sasuke?"

He looked at me and in a breath, he was standing in front of me, so close I could smell him. My stomach quivered, my knees shook but I stared up at him defiantly, struggling to prove to him that he had no effect on me and to prove to myself that I could.

"What happened to your neck?" He asked, his voice low. He lifted a hand and placed it on the side, his fingers warm as they traced the bandage.

The wound was basically sealed and Granny's medicine ensured that there would be no scar. Even though Rukia's blade had opened it up slightly, it was still a small cut and nothing to worry about. But, it still needed to be wrapped.

"Naruto and I were attacked." I said. "But it was fine."

His hand slid away and he stuffed it into the pocket of his shorts. We stared at each other right after and as a few uneasy moments passed by, I offered the leftovers.

"There's not much." I said. "Naruto had seconds."

Sasuke stared down at the food in the bowls. When he didn't move to take it, I sighed and placed them on the ground, clasping my hands together before turning to head back.

"I'm looking for something." Sasuke said before I could take the first step.

I stopped and turned to look back at him. He was standing there, the food still at his feet.

"Looking for what?" I asked, hesitant.

"A sword." Sasuke said. "It's somewhere in that Graveyard you're heading to."

So, he had been overhearing us the whole time even though he had always appeared beyond and above us. I nodded and folded my arms.

"Is it for him?"

He didn't answer at first, he just stared at me.

"It's for me." He said a moment later.

I let his words hang in the air for a bit as I processed them. He was looking for a sword hidden away in the Graveyard? I could hardly imagine that the Bone Village would have anything remotely close to what he was looking for. It was filled with nothing but dead things, piles upon piles of death but then I realized a place like that, a place where all the forgotten things lay, was the perfect place to hide something.

"How do you know for sure it's there?" I asked.

His eyes narrowed slightly and he looked up at the star covered sky before looking back down at me.

"I have to follow the clues."

"Clues?" I repeated.

He studied me. "I need the scroll."

My eyes widened just as a breeze rolled through the clearing. When it passed, I was about to speak, unsure exactly what I was going to say, but sure that I was going to say something, when something in the air shifted.

I was turning to face it, the source of the sudden chill in the air when Sasuke grabbed me and pulled me close, jumping into the air shortly after just as an array of kunai hit the spot we had been standing in. We landed safely a few feet away and a dark chuckling filled the clearing. It wasn't Rukia or Ren but it felt familiar.

"Well, look who it is." A voice chuckled.

I moved away from Sasuke and together we glared up into the trees.

"Where's the other one? The blonde one? I have a bone to pick with him."

I placed the voice then, remembering it from the time in the diner, when the two thugs had tried to ambush Naruto and I. The big one, the big sidekick, had been the one to cut my neck and I had thought for sure Naruto had knocked sense into them. I had sworn that we saw the last of them in the Water village. But, as I looked up at the trees and spotted him, the big boss himself, I realized that wasn't the case.

I wondered just how they had found us. Had they been following us? How had we not sensed them before?

"I'm gonna ask you nicely one more time, girl." The boss growled. "Hand over the scroll and we just might spare you and your friend there."

I glared up at him. "Yeah, well I don't have it."

He glared back at me. "What was that, girl?"

"I don't remember stuttering." I growled, balling my hands into tight fists. The fact that he hadn't spoken about Naruto proved that they hadn't been watching us for long. Probably tailing but never quite catching up until they spotted Sasuke and I. Even though Naruto and Granny were close by, they were safe and that was all that mattered.

"What did you say?" The boss growled.

"She just talked back to you, boss." The same henchman from before said, slinking out from the dark shadow of a tree, a sinister smirk on his lips.

"I'm gonna mop the ground with that pretty little face of hers." The boss growled, cracking his knuckles. "Let's get ready, boys!"

I looked around as more and more of his shady companions started popping up and my stomach tightened. There were more of them lying in wait and he looked just like the kind of guy who would wait around for a cheap shot.

"Hmph." Sasuke said, not seeming at all bothered while I would be lying if I said the fact that we were completely surrounded on all sides wasn't a little nerving.

"What's so funny boy?!" The boss snapped.

Sasuke looked up at him, completely at ease. "The fact that you think this will be so easy for one."

"This one is just as annoying as the other one." The boss growled. "If not more."

"Then come and do something about it." Sasuke said, lowering his head.

"Sasuke—"

"Don't get in my way." Sasuke said quickly.

I stiffened just as all the surrounding thugs jumped toward us, everyone except the boss who wore a confident smirk on his lips. He was sure he would win. He was sure Sasuke was all talk. But, he was wrong. Naruto had proved that much and the only difference between the two was that Sasuke wouldn't hold back.


	9. Chapter 8: The Snake's Pupil!

**Chapter 8: The Snake's Pupil!**

He activated his Sharingan and at first it was just hand to hand combat, swift punches and kicks that sent henchman after henchman flying back. He was faster, harsher, his moves even more precise. Once they hit the ground, they didn't get back up.

I watched the fight but I was aware of the men gathering behind me and as they jumped out from the forest, I turned to face them. I pulled out a kunai and we went at it. They tried to knock me off my feet but I was one step ahead of them. One of them grabbed my arm and as the other tried to grab my other, I jump up, wrapping my legs around the extended arm and twisted, breaking the bone. He cried out, hitting the ground while the one holding me stood startled. I pulled my arm away and kicked him into the oncoming group of thugs. They all grunted as they hit the ground and I was turning to look back at Sasuke when I heard the enraged boss' cry.

I swung instead to face him and saw him barreling toward me, nothing but fury filling his face. I braced myself, planning on waiting until the very last second to dodge. I wanted to get his hopes up.

But, Sasuke was faster.

He was in front of me before I could move and just as the boss lifted his fist, Sasuke caught it and inhaled.

"Fire Style! Fireball Jutsu!"

His attack covered the boss who grunted. It looked like a direct hit but I knew better.

"Stand back." Sasuke ordered.

"This is as much my fight as it is yours." I countered, earning a glance.

That was when the boss jumped out of the smoke cloud, a sword drawn. I could see Sasuke getting ready to meet him but I shot forward instead. I refused to let him have all the fun and after all the fights I had had since leaving the village I felt now more than ever that I had something to prove.

We clashed and instantly resorted to Taijutsu moves. A few henchmen rose and dove for Sasuke but I focused solely on countering the boss while waiting for the perfect opening. He caught my wrist and pulled but I took the opportunity to jump up and balance my foot on his shoulder. I pushed off of him, digging the heel of my foot into the space between his collarbone and shoulder muscle and managed to break his hold. When I landed, I made hand signs and held my hand back just as a rock the size of my fist shot up from the ground.

"You little—" The boss growled, his eyes wide with rage. But, before he could say another word, I threw the hovering rock at him and watched as it sliced him across his cheek, turning his whole head from the sheer force.

He growled just as I made a few more hand signs.

"Water Style! Raging Waves!" The boss rose and matched my hand signs, producing the exact same attack at the last second. They collided and as the force died down, he jumped into the air, his hands in fists, one raised high above his head.

"I'm gonna finish you, girl!" He cried.

Sasuke jumped in front of me again and his Sharingan shined even brighter in his eyes. In an instant the boss dropped to the ground, his eyes wide in his skull, a choked sound struggling to escape from his mouth.

"I could've handled it." I growled, pushing Sasuke away.

"Never said that you couldn't." Sasuke growled, grabbing my wrist before pulling me back. I hadn't noticed before but all the henchmen were down, groaning in pain and the rest were conscious.

"Let go of me." I snapped, turning to glare at him.

"I told you to stand back." Sasuke growled as the boss stopped his crying between us.

"I didn't ask you to protect me!" I snapped just as the boss jumped to his feet, a crazed look in his eye as he pulled kunai from his pouch and swung them toward Sasuke and I. My eyes widened. I had sworn he had just passed out but he had awoken in a frenzy almost and his kunai was aimed right for my neck, at such an angle, it would cut more than flesh.

But, the kunai never made it toward my skin.

I heard a familiar hissing sound and looked over at Sasuke who had two large pythons coming from the sleeves of his shirt. They were wrapped tightly around the boss, their large heads swaying around his.

My lips trembled as I staggered back. I should have expected such a technique, should have countered with my own if I hadn't been fighting. But, I was stunned because there it was, proof that Sasuke was Orochimaru's student.

"You…little…punk…" The boss struggled, trying to make his voice heard even as the snakes hissed, slowly constricting him more and more.

"Sasuke…stop." I said.

"Did you hurt her?" Sasuke asked, nodding toward me curtly. His Sharingan was still in his eyes and it was even more ominous than usual, darker almost.

The boss groaned just as a rustling in the trees sounded.

"Miyuki!" Naruto's voice called out to me and then I heard his tracks stop suddenly.

"Answer me." Sasuke snapped, his voice even colder.

I shivered. What was going on? What was wrong with him?

"Hey it's that guy from earlier." Naruto said before he started looking around. "But what happened…who…who are these people?"

The boss growled, sweat dripping down the side of his head. He looked down at me and coughed.

"I should've…I should've…" He wheezed, the snakes moving even tighter.

"What's that? We can't hear you." Sasuke snapped.

"Sasuke!" I said, my voice a tad firmer.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, his hands in tight fists at his sides.

"Speak up…" Sasuke said. "We can't hear you."

The snakes tightened even more and the man coughed up blood, pain visible on every crevice of his face.

My insides tingled but not in a good way. This was wrong. What had gotten into him? Who was this version of Sasuke? What was he? What had he become?

"I should've…I should've…killed you…when I…had the…chance!" The boss finished, his eyes hateful as he looked at Naruto and I.

Sasuke's eyes turned a shade darker and a dark smirk filled his lips. "Wrong answer."

I could hear the snakes twisting even more and finally, there was the painful snap of bones.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"SASUKE!" I screamed, tears filling my eyes. "STOP IT!"

The boss screamed out in pain and his henchmen looked on in disbelief, their eyes wide as the life was squeezed out of their leader. The crunching sound of breaking bones, the boss' agonizing cries and screams filling the forest as the snakes squeezed and squeezed until they broke past even the bone, until they dug deep for the muscle, until they were squeezing nothing but each other.

His blood splattered everywhere and I felt it splash onto my face. An icy chill spread over my body and I gasped, unable to breathe as I remembered Sayuri's screams filling the still night air that night.

Blood had splattered on Sasuke's face as well, just the side and as the snakes retreated back up his sleeves, I was starting to forget how to breathe as I struggled to catch one small puff of air.

"Miyuki!" Naruto was at my side instantly and I glanced at him with wide eyes until I saw his hands, also covered in blood and the hot tears stinging my eyes spilled over.

It was too much. I could feel the memories consuming me all over again except this time it was much worse. The blood dripping down my face, the blood covering Naruto's hands, the blood sliding down Sasuke's cheek, the body parts littering the forest floor. I felt sick. My head was reeling.

I pulled away from him, crying out as I stumbled back.

"Miyuki…"

I could hear Naruto, hear the worry in his voice but it was hard to focus on him, hard to let him pull me to the surface when the screams ringing in my ears sounded just as horrible. They were pulling me in, their hold too strong.

"Leave me alone!" I cried, pressing my palms against my ears to try and block it all out. But all it did was make it worse.

I stumbled back again and stepped on something. I looked down and my eyes widened as I stared down at the boss' paper-white head. I couldn't help it then. Looking down at it, meeting the dead look in his skull, something inside of me snapped. When I opened my mouth, instead of letting out a straggled breath, I screamed.

Sasuke was in front of me a moment after, as my scream started to die down. He held my head in place with his hands, and turned me so that our eyes locked. I stared into his Sharingan, feeling a tightness in my chest and watched as the tomoe in his eyes began to spin.

The dizziness grew and I felt my legs going out from under me but Sasuke held me in place, until the tomoe's grew and grew, until all I could see was blackness.

…

"What happened? What was all that screaming?"

A sharp gasp.

"What happened?! What happened to her?!"

"She's fine."

At first the voices swamed around in my head and they all sounded distorted. I had the feeling that I was being carried, my body swaying slightly. Then suddenly I was being lowered, my head coming down on something soft just as the voices started to sound like actual people.

"What happened?!" It was Granny's voice and she was hysterical. I could feel her hands on my face, feel something damp coming down on my skin. I wanted to look at her, wanted to open my eyes, but I couldn't, not yet.

"The thugs from before came back." Naruto said, his voice low.

"So I did you all the honors of ending them." Sasuke's voice, cold and harsh.

Silence and I felt my body stiffen as my brow furrowed.

"She's coming to." Granny said. "What happened? Did she hit her head?"

More silence but this time, my eyes fluttered open. At first, all I could see were the stars twinkling above. Then, there was something just on the outside of my vision, something red, the sound of cackling and then I felt it, the warmth of a fire. Granny's face came into view shortly after and I could see the heavy concern knitting her brows together.

"She's so cold." Granny said, her hand on my cheek. "She looks like she's seen a ghost."

Again, silence.

"Miyuki? Miyuki? Are you alright?" Granny asked, as she leaned forward.

I couldn't answer her. My throat felt too dry and my head couldn't formulate any words even if I wanted too. But, pieces of memory surfaced. The fight in the woods, the look in Sasuke's eyes, the snakes, the squeezing, the sounds filling my ears and then there was the head, lying in the grass, it's mouth still twitching.

My stomach dived and I sat up quickly, turning to the side only to throw up beside the fire. Granny smoothed her hand on my back and my body trembled as the memory played over and over again in my head. Except this time, I was in control, somewhat. I had overreacted before, had probably gotten caught up in the moment as I usually was nowadays.

"That's it." Granny's soothing voice said. "Let it all out."

I struggled to swallow and ended up gasping. Someone handed me a cup of water and I took it before throwing it back. Water dribbled down the side of my mouth but I didn't care. It felt good, cool as it filled my mouth and I found when the cup was empty that I felt a little bit better, though I was still trembling.

"Better?" Naruto asked, his voice low and soft, as if he was talking to an unstable child. I looked at him but caught Sasuke standing just beyond him and instead looked up at him.

"I told you to stop." I said.

He stared down at me, unblinking.

"Why did you do that?" I snapped. "Why would you do something like that?"

His eyes narrowed. "I saved you. You should be grateful."

"I don't care that you saved me! There was a different way. There could have been a different way!" I spat. "You didn't have to…you didn't have to do that…"

He gave me no reaction. He didn't even give me a response.

"After everything!" I said. "After what I told you about my family…how could…how could you do something like that?"

Granny looked at Naruto who was busy staring between the two of us.

Still, he gave me no reaction and I reached for the scroll in Naruto's backpack. I pulled it out and threw it at him, watching as it bounced off of his chest before hitting the ground.

"You want the scroll? _Take it_! Take it and leave us alone!" I shouted, pushing myself to my feet shakily.

"Miyuki." Naruto said, stepping forward before pointing at the scroll. "We need to deliver the scroll."

"He can deliver it after he's done." I said. "Using it to find whatever stupid sword Orochimaru sent him to find."

Naruto stiffened and looked back at Sasuke.

"What?" He asked, his voice low.

"He was only with us for the scroll anyway. Who knew when he was just going to reach over and take it? Or turn his back on us!" I shook my head. "I _hate_ you."

He blinked at me, no reaction and all it did was push me further.

"I hate you and I never want to see you again!" I said. "Now go! Get out of here! Get out of my sight!"

Sasuke reached down and picked up the scroll, rolling it open before tearing the piece with the badly written poem right out of the center. He let the scroll fall then but folded the poem into a square before shoving it into his pocket.

"I don't need your scroll."

"Just get out of here!" I shouted before stepping toward him and shoving him back. "Get out!"

He caught my wrists and held me in place while I struggled against him, struggled to get away from his hold, struggled to push him back even further. He leaned down close, his lips just on the outer shell of my ear and I gasped, still struggling against him.

"I meant what I said." He mumbled into my ear. "I always will."

"Get away from me!" I screamed just as Naruto stepped forward. But in that same moment, Sasuke released me and as I dropped to my knees, he was gone.

I was on all fours, my arm resting on my forearm as more and more tears fell from my eyes. I felt a hand on my back a few minutes into my sobbing and let them pull me up. I eased back and glanced to the side only to find Naruto kneeling beside me. He was holding me up, supporting me with a soft smile on his lips.

It felt like my heart was breaking in that moment and the pain, the pain was so bad. My tears fell faster, my body trembled harder and suddenly, I was throwing myself against Naruto's chest, burying my face in his shirt as I sobbed into him.


	10. Chapter 9: Feel the Pain!

**Chapter 9: Feel the Pain!**

 _We can't deliver the scroll like that, Naruto had said._

We were way off track, had been for the past few days. We should have been at the Graveyard by now, should have actually been on our way back to my village. But, we had been lingering in the next town over and I tried to pretend as the clock ticked by that it didn't bother me. But, it was our mission to deliver the scroll and all of its contents and I had let Sasuke rip a hole out of the center and leave.

I was in the wrong, but I refused to admit it.

I eased down further into my bath, struggling to push the guilt out of my chest. It didn't help, nothing helped and though Naruto hadn't uttered another word since, I could feel his disappointment and that was much worse than my own. Granny went along her business, treating our stay in the local hotel as a sort of vacation. But, while she seemed content with everything, I knew the clock was ticking for Naruto and I knew eventually, we had to come up with some sort of plan.

We would have to track Sasuke down, or show up at the Graveyard in hopes that he was there as well. But, for now, I was happy with pretending like everything was fine and for the hundredth time during the time our mission began that my emotions hadn't gotten the better of me. Sure Sasuke's stunt had spooked me and sure it was unnecessary and cruel even, but I was better than that. I knew deep down inside that I was stronger too and I think that was what angered me the most.

I blew bubbles and closed my eyes, relishing the heat and the rising steam from the bath. It was an outdoor bath, overlooking the sea of surrounding forest. It was a beautiful overall, paper lanterns adorning tree branches with a starlit backdrop. The gentle breeze wafting through the branches felt refreshing as they brushed against my skin and it was so quiet out, that it helped me relax even more. I told myself that after everything, the bath was just what I needed and it didn't matter how long I had been lounging in it. I deserved it.

But, I still felt terrible.

I opened my eyes and lifted a hand out of the water, placing it on the surface shortly after. I flattened it, watching as the water stilled beneath my palm. It was my fault, all of it. I hadn't been strong enough. Hadn't been ready for anything. I was weak. I was becoming useless, working only when it was convenient for me. I was desperate for him, desperate for a boy who proved that he didn't know what caring even was. I had been fooled into thinking that he did, that he had, but what it really was, was a scam.

I hugged myself as an especially cruel breeze rolled through and I shivered, sinking even deeper into the bath when I felt it, a sudden shifting in the trees. Something familiar and dark lurking in between the darkness. I braced myself, noting that all of my weapons were stuffed into a locker down the path leading to the main hut. I mentally scolded myself for being so foolish.

"Who's there?" I called out into the darkness.

There was no answer and my glare into the trees hardened. The leaves shook and soon there was a rustling sound coming from tree branch to tree branch as if someone was jumping from side to side.

I reached for the towel beside my head when a kunai darted out from the trees and pinned it to the ground. I blinked at the kunai and then turned to glare back into the forest when a dark chuckle filled the area, making my heart drop.

"I think that's what I like the most about seeing a caged animal."

I stiffened, my hands clenching into fists as the voice rang familiar through me. The kunai was so close and yet so far and who knew if she was alone.

"The weakness shining in their eyes…the fear pulsing through their veins…" The voice continued from somewhere beyond the darkness. "It's exhilarating really and it's about as refreshing as that little bath of yours."

"What do you want, Rukia?" I growled. "I'm not afraid of you."

I didn't feel very afraid of anything anymore. I felt emotionless, numb. I had told Sasuke off, had thrown the mission off course, and now all that mattered to me was regaining the peace and quiet I had lost when she had arrived.

She appeared then and she sat across from me, perched atop the highest rock, cruel amusement glowing in her eyes.

"Did you leave Ren behind?" I asked. "Or is he here with you?"

"You know I never travel alone." Rukia smirked, wiping her mouth.

"So you're both here…to finish me off?" I asked.

"Possibly." Rukia said, smoothing a hand through her hair. "Such a shame though…to try and take you out when you're so defenseless…"

"I've been through worse." I said, bracing myself. I wasn't about to fight my older siblings in the nude, but all I needed was an opening and I could get both the kunai and the towel pinned under it. Another opening would be all I needed to run down the path to the main house and then I'd have even more weapons at my disposal. But, until then, all I had was my element.

"I don't believe you." Rukia said, lifting a hand and placing it on the handle of her sword.

I moved then, ripping the kunai from its place and grabbing the towel at the last second. I jumped out of the spring a moment later and wrapped the towel around my body while Rukia chuckled.

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get." I growled.

Rukia didn't move, but her eyes narrowed.

"You expect me to believe that you changed overnight?" Rukia asked.

"I just stopped caring."

"That's unlike you."

"People change all the time."

"Not you." Rukia sighed as she pushed herself up to her feet right when a kunai barrage shot out from the trees. I dodged it, swiped at a few with my kunai and heard Ren's deep chuckle.

"Don't have all the fun without me, Rukia."

"I've had enough of you to last me a lifetime." Rukia said, her voice firm. "But what makes my mouth water is what will happen after we kill you."

I glared at her. "Oh yeah? Care to enlighten me?"

Ren chuckled, appearing beside Rukia, on another rock. His hands were in the pockets of his pants and he looked less amused, but there was still a dark glint in his eyes.

"The look on that Jinchūriki's face when we crush you." Rukia said.

"But I don't know what's better." Ren said. "His or…"

"The Uchiha." Rukia finished, her eyes glowing.

I gripped the kunai in my fist and scoffed. "They don't mean anything to me. Hurting me and then rubbing me in their face won't do anything."

"Funny." Ren said as he nodded at Rukia who jumped into the air.

"I don't think you fully grasp at the hold you have over them." Ren said. "Ask the old hag, I'm sure she can tell you."

I made hand signs. I was too close but knew that the gush of water that would rise from the spring would form a wall of some sort and if anything, it would slow her down.

"Water Style! Water Dragon Jutsu!" The water vibrated and a second later, a tube of violently swirling waves shot up directly in front of Rukia's airborne body. I knew the water was hot and at the very least, it would burn her. But, she shot out from the hot water, her sword still raised high, her cheeks and fair skin slightly pink.

I lifted my kunai and met her sword with a shaky hand while the other gripped the towel around my waist.

"You'll need both to take me on." Rukia grunted. "Without it, you're just a walking target. It will only be a matter of time."

"You're not even giving me a chance!" I growled before pushing her back and jumping back a few feet.

"One doesn't simply get stronger overnight." Ren called to me.

"I don't need strength to beat you." I said as I made more hand signs and jumped back toward the water, grazing a hand over the surface and causing a strip of it to wrap around my hand and harden. I threw my hand back and cast the whip-like chakra infused water at Rukia. It wrapped around her and she glared at me while Ren chuckled behind me.

"Is this your big plan, sister?" Ren asked.

"Don't call me that." I snapped, tightening my grip on Rukia who didn't even bother flinching. She just continued to glare at me.

"I learned this jutsu from Megumi-sensei." I said.

"Fun fact…" Rukia grumbled.

"But there's a part to it that not that many shinobi know." I said through clenched teeth.

"It's the Water Whip Jutsu." Ren said, amused. "There's nothing else to it."

"Because you don't know." I growled. I funneled lightening chakra through the water and a moment later, the charge was shocking Rukia who screamed up to the heavens. That was when Ren moved and I had to release Rukia to face him. He slapped me away and I fell, my head hitting the side of a rock as I went down.

Shaking, I turned back to face him and found him standing over me, his eyes even darker than before. They had never liked when the other got hurt and it was clear after all these years, that same fact still stood.

I pushed myself up to my feet, struggling to keep my body wrapped when Ren caught me by the roots of my hair and pulled me back. I cried out and bit my bottom lip shortly after. I didn't want them to know that I felt the pain they inflicted on me. I felt just like I had that night, the night my clan was massacred. I knew this was a fight I would lose, but I alone determined how I would lose it. As long as I had that, they couldn't touch me.

"Neat trick." Ren growled in my ear. "But we have a better one."

"Water Style! Raging Waves!" He held me until the last second, until the water current slammed into me, knocking my breath clean out of my chest and I went flying up and out of the hot spring, landing hard on the damp forest floor. I shivered before shielding myself, or at least trying to. Rukia snickered.

"Such a pity." Ren's voice sounded from behind me and I swung around just as my body was engulfed in a sphere of water. I groaned, making bubbles as I struggled to hug myself, but I knew it was no use. My body felt heavy, incredibly so, to the point where it hurt whenever I so much as lifted my arms.

 _Water Prison Jutsu_ , I thought, annoyed now more than ever.

"Ending it now sounds about as good as ever." Rukia said. "Then we can severe your head and bring it to Granny."

"I'm sure she'll love it." Ren said. "A nice memento."

I was in a predicament. The jutsu was impenetrable, impossible to escape unless one had allies on the other side. With all my luck, Naruto was in a deep slumber and so was Granny. I was all alone and I would die out here…alone.

Stupid. Stupid. _Stupid_! I needed to get out, I needed to run, to get some sort of advantage if anything. Talking would only piss me off even more.

Something cut through the air and I blinked just as a body appeared out of nowhere between Ren and I. His eyes widened as a hand came down, nothing but a sparkling ball of chakra in the attacker's palm. It was swinging down and I remembered the only option Ren had when using such an attack was either holding on or losing an arm. He pulled his arm away just as the hand missed his arm and instead slammed into the ground.

I glanced up and my eyes widened as the electric sparks shot out from between the palm and a moment later, as Ren jumped back, the electricity began to jump and sparkle, spreading out and growing bigger and bigger until they reached Rukia. It happened quickly, barely giving her time to dodge and they stood, their bodies twitching as the body between Ren and I, pulled me away.

We landed a few feet away and I pulled away, my eyes still wide, my heart racing.

"Sasuke?" I breathed. It was him, in the flesh. He looked down at me, the Sharingan in his eyes before he looked back at Rukia and Ren, who still stood frozen but I knew it wouldn't be for much longer.

"Miyuki!"

It was Naruto's voice and he sounded close and I turned my head only to see him running up the path.

"Naruto!" I called, starting to rise until I realized. He slid to a stop and blushed just as Sasuke rose to cover me. I hid behind him while Sasuke nodded at the jacket tied around his waist.

"Naruto…the jacket." He commanded.

Naruto looked away, his cheeks ablaze as he struggled to unknot his jacket as my brother and sister stopped twitching. They were furious now, I could tell by the way they moved and the dark glares they shot at Sasuke.

Naruto tossed the jacket at us and Sasuke placed it around my shoulders.

"You came back." I breathed against his chest.

He didn't answer me right away but turned to face Rukia and Ren, giving me his back.

"I don't remember you ever giving me an alternative." He said.

"You didn't have to…" I breathed.

"I've had just about enough of you people trying to hurt Miyuki!" Naruto growled.

"And I'm getting pretty tired of looking at you two." Sasuke said.

"Sasuke—" I began but Sasuke glanced back at me, making the words lodge in my throat.

"Stay behind me." Sasuke said, rising to his feet.

"Miyuki!" It was Granny's voice and a moment later she was running to my side, pushing past Naruto.

"Are you alright?" She asked, pulling the jacket closer around my body. I pulled my arms into the sleeves and zipped it up, noting just how cold it was outside. In the village we were staying at, the Frost Village was just a few hours away. But, while the air was cold, it was cold enough for snow to stick, but that didn't mean it didn't snow. Above, the sky was beginning to turn purple and I could already see little specks floating down.

"This one annoys me." Rukia growled, glaring at Sasuke.

"The whole group annoys me." Ren said smoothly. "But if it's fight they want, it's a fight they'll get."

"Hmph." Sasuke grumbled.

"I'm tired of you two bothering us!" Naruto growled, his hands in tight fists at his side.

"By the end of this fight we'll have the two of you on your knees." Ren said. "And we'll make my sister watch while Rukia carves out your hearts."

My stomach tightened while a bead of sweat slid down the side of Naruto's head. I turned to Granny knowing that if anything, three bodies were better than one. I couldn't let them go through this alone. I had to help them. My siblings weren't their problem, they were mine.

"I need my clothes." I whispered to Granny.

She looked at me. "No, Miyuki. You need to run."

I glared at her. "I'm not leaving them."

"And I refuse to have you die here."

"I refuse to see them die here too." I whispered harshly before pushing to my feet,

Rukia moved first, slicing her sword through the air like a madwoman. She tried to swipe at both of them but Naruto jumped up and made hand signs while Sasuke jumped to the side.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Multiple Naruto's appeared from small clouds and Ren snickered.

"This stupid trick again?" He said under his breath before pulling a string of kunai out from one of his utility vest pocket. He launched them at the Naruto's and a few hit them, making them poof right back into their clouds. But a few more pushed past the attack, blocking it as they started to fight hand to hand with Rukia and Ren. Rukia tried to cut them but the clones proved to be faster and were able to counter the attacks, a few of them producing kunai.

Sasuke moved too and Ren moved to block him. They clashed, kunai against kunai while Rukia dispelled the seemingly endless Naruto clones, until one burst out of the barrage with a Rasengan in the palm of its hand.

"Insolent boy." Rukia grunted, raising her sword to block the attack until the clone disappeared and the real Naruto came from above

"RASENGAN!" He shouted and Rukia dodged the attack and Naruto's attack hit the water, causing a huge wave to come out, splashing onto Granny, Sasuke, Ren and I.

"Those eyes…" Ren grunted, pushing away from Sasuke.

"The rage…the hatred…" He breathed as Sasuke dove for him again.

"They haven't even begun to use their true power." Rukia laughed.

Naruto growled under his breath and ran for her again, making more hand signs and forming even more clones.

"I'm just getting started!" The clones shouted, fighting her with even more Taijutsu but Rukia was even faster. She pushed them all away and the moment she had an opening, she formed hand signs.

"Water Style! Giant Vortex Jutsu!" The water rumbled beneath her feet until it extended, rising up several meters before it came crashing down toward the incoming Naruto clones, dispelling all of them, their cries muffled in the clash.

"I'm still not impressed, boy." Rukia grinned.

"Naruto!" I shouted, my hands in tight fists at my sides. Rukia had dispelled every clone and as the water receded, there was no sign of the real Naruto, but Rukia's attack had totaled the surrounding area. It smelled of heavy and soggy dirt and trees had been caught in it as well and they were falling to pieces and over around us. There was a muddy trail that led down the path to the main house and I knew it would only be a few moments until curious heads began to peek out of windows.

Ren caught Sasuke's wrist and pulled him close, head-butting him. Sasuke barely grunted but right after, he disappeared his body bursting into a plethora of garden snakes. Ren growled in response and when he looked to the side that was when the translucent wires shot out from a treetop, surrounding him and holding his body in place.

Rukia looked at him and seemed about ready to free him when Naruto's voice boomed through the trees.

"I'm not done yet!" He shouted, popping out of a tree with another clone right beside him.

I made hand signs quickly. "Water Style! Syrup Trap!"

Rukia went to move, but it was too late and she was stuck in place as Naruto formed another Rasengan with his clone before it got bigger and bigger and took up his entire palm. It was the size of a soccer ball and I stood in wonder as he charged toward Rukia.

"Fire Style! Dragon Flame Caterwaul!" Sasuke shouted, firing off a number of dragon-head shaped fireballs. The attacks slammed on the ground around Ren and as they hit a great cloud of smoke formed around him.

"Ren!" Rukia growled, building chakra to her feet and managing to barely free herself as she lifted her sword to block Naruto's attack. It worked but she went flying back, landing in the bath and sinking to the bottom while Ren jumped out from the cloud of smoke only to have Sasuke appear and send a Chidori right into his chest.

Ren groaned in response, his eyes bulging and he coughed up blood, the crimson splashing onto Sasuke's arm.

Rukia's sword had been split in two by Naruto's direct hit and Naruto stood right beside it, bent over and panting, his forehead dotted with sweat. He had overexerted himself with the last attack.

Rukia swam to the surface and jumped out, landing beside Ren.

"What happened to all that talk earlier?" Sasuke called to them. "I thought you were going to carve my heart out."

Rukia glared at him, her eyes vicious. Her beloved sword was done but I could tell that she was just beginning. I needed my clothes and I needed them now. I was going to go for it, had merely taken a step to the side when Rukia flicked her wrist at me and a translucent wire shot out, wrapping around my ankle. She pulled me clean off my feet and I went flying forward.

Sasuke moved to cut the wire when Ren shot forward, ramming his shoulder into Sasuke's chest just as I flew past them and slammed into Naruto who groaned in pain when we landed a few feet from where he had barely been standing.

I coughed, feeling a fiery pain in my knee cap and went to push back only to find Sasuke taking on both Rukia and Ren, his Sharingan moving every which way in his skull as he expertly dodged their attacks.

"How long are you going to keep this up? I can see your moves before you even know what move you're going to make." Sasuke said as they tried to swipe at him.

"Miyuki? Are you alright?" Naruto asked. He was still panting and was still wearing a pained expression on his face. But his eyes shined with determination and I felt the concern burning in his voice.

I managed a nod and turned to Sasuke who dodged a kick from Rukia but missed the punch from Ren.

"Sasuke!" I shouted as he slid back and wiped his jaw with his arm. Ren laughed.

"I thought you could see us." He said.

"Seems like the little Prince is getting tired." Rukia chuckled.

I felt it then, a sharp pain on my neck. I cringed and placed a hand over it, remembering only when my fingers brushed over it, where the pain stemmed from. The mark. The cursed mark.

"No…" Sasuke said, his voice low. It was pulsating but it wasn't because he was close. I stared at Sasuke in awe, unable to process the dark chakra forming around him. It was powerful, stronger than before but it wasn't because the mark was takin him over, that was only part of him. It was his control over the power, over the darkness, the fact that he was the one letting it slip out.

"I'm just getting excited." He looked up when the cursed mark spread all over his body. He looked crazed when his gaze fell on Ren and Rukia who were trembling with their own excitement. He wasn't stronger than them, I knew that but there was a small piece of hope.

"Whoa…" Naruto breathed, his eyes wide.

"He's gotten stronger." I said.

"Is that supposed to scare us?" Rukia asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Come over and let's find out." Sasuke said.

I shivered. He had only activated phase 1 of the cursed mark and if his power was like this already, I could only imagine what phase 2 would look like.

Ren shot forward first and Rukia followed shortly after.

"Chidori Stream!" Sasuke shouted, not even making hand signs as he was surrounded by Chidori currents. Ren skidded to a stop and Rukia jumped up to higher ground, barely missing the electric sparks.

"You gonna sit around all night, Naruto?" Sasuke called to him, making Naruto flinch.

Sasuke moved, running toward Ren before disappearing the moment he was close enough and reappearing to deliver a swift upper kick to Ren's jaw. Rukia shot forward to try and defend, but Naruto met her halfway and their bodies collided as Ren fell and Sasuke reappeared a third time behind him before flipping to the side and elbowing Ren back down to the Earth. He landed, the ground cracking slightly with his weight and Sasuke came down swiftly, kicking Ren right in his stomach.

Rukia pulled out a kunai and caught Naruto on his shoulder before she kicked him back and threw herself toward Sasuke, blinded fury in her eyes as she raised her kunai high above her head.

But, Sasuke saw her coming and he was waiting for her. The pain in my neck surged and I cried out, feeling lightheaded just as wings sprouted out of Sasuke's back, wings that looked like ragged hands with sharp nails. He blocked her kunai and it barely left a scratch as the sharp piece broke clean off. His black hair grew longer, becoming shoulder length while taking on an almost grayish tone. His skin, once milky in complexion became tanner and his eyes shined even brighter with the Sharingan in them.

Rukia froze, her eyes wide with both amusement and shock until one of the wings swiped into her, knocking her back a few feet and right into a tree right when Ren grabbed a piece of Rukia's broken blade and swung it up. It pierced through Sasuke's shoulder and I gasped in response.

"SASUKE!" I shouted as his cursed mark receding, taking away his new form as quickly as it had appeared. He grunted, falling to his knees while Ren chuckled darkly.

"That's one." Ren growled, twisting the blade into Sasuke's shoulder. Crimson seeped from his wound, sliding down his arm, dripping and pooling on the ground beneath his hand.

My heart pounded in my chest and I imagined the worst, I imagined the blade being worked across his chest until it reached his heart. I imagined the look on his face, the pain that would shine in his eyes and the cruel smirk that would on Rukia and Ren's lips as they dispatched yet another life into the oblivion that was death.

I moved then, grabbing a piece of sword from the ground and caught Rukia who chuckled as I leveled the blade with her throat, pressing it against it.

Ren blinked at me, amused.

I wouldn't let it happen. The boys had been through enough and I refused to stand by and watch it all happen. They had protected me all this time. The least I could do now was repay the favor. I was through with playing the victim card. I could defend myself, I just needed to not think about it too much.

"That's enough." I growled, my nails digging into the flesh of Rukia's arm as I held her in place.

"You want me?" I said as Granny stiffened from the corner of my eye.

"Then come and get me."


	11. Chapter 10: A Heart that Burns, Yearns!

**Chapter 10: A Heart that Burns, Yearns!**

Rukia laughed, cruel and obnoxious. She even went as far as tilting her head back and offering it up to the sky. Ren stared on, amused while Sasuke's body trembled on his knees and Naruto blinked between us all, unsure who to run to first.

"Offering yourself, Miyuki? How noble of you…" Ren said before looking down at Sasuke.

"They're not part of this." I said. "You came here to finish me off, didn't you?"

"Not everything is about you, sister." Rukia said and I readjusted the blade, reminding her that no matter how she went about it, she was the one in a predicament, not me.

"We're here for that scroll of yours." Ren said. "The one Hanzo failed to collect from you."

"Hanzo?" Naruto breathed.

"He was a mercenary for hire." Ren said with a shrug. "And we found his decapitated corpse not too far from here."

"Which led us here…to you...and your collection of rats." Rukia grinned.

"Which only means one thing…" Ren said.

I glared at them. "Hanzo was the man who attacked Naruto and I before."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You sent them after us?"

"We didn't know that you had the scroll we were seeking, not for sure. Hanzo confirmed and when he went into fetch it, he never made it to the meeting point."

"But…" Ren reached down, his hand sliding into Sasuke's pocket before he pulled out the piece of paper with the scribbled poem. "Now we have what we needed all along."

"We just wanted to prove a point." Rukia said and she moved, bringing up her arm before bringing it down hard on my side. I cried out and she swung around, kneeing me in the stomach. I bent over, sweat forming on my brow as I dropped to my knees, the sword piece clattering to the ground.

"Next time we meet, sister, it will be our last time." Ren said. "If you value your life and the lives of your friends, I'd choose the next step wisely."

"Considering that we've been taking it easy on you fools but next time you won't be so lucky." Rukia said.

"Give us back that scroll!" Naruto growled.

"Choose wisely, Miyuki." Ren said before Rukia and his body dispelled into water.

"Water clones." Granny mumbled from the side and I felt the rage bubble inside of me as I realized they had been clones the whole time. I wondered exactly when they had left and how they had done it without us realizing. Their chakra hadn't even shifted.

Sasuke fell forward, one of his hands slapping against the ground and I ran to his side, placing a hand on the forearm of his wounded shoulder.

"Hang in there." I said.

"I'll be fine." He managed and I looked back at Granny.

"Get him to his feet." She said. "Let's get him back to the room."

…

A few hours later, toward the early dusk hours, I had healed Sasuke's wound but his muscles were still sore, still healing. The wound wasn't as bad as I had thought and I found myself oddly grateful but then I realized why.

I was still upset with him but it felt different now. He had come back. He had come back to defend me, to protect me. He had been there when I had no one else and I had thought that he had been all the way in the Graveyard. It didn't fix things, not by a long shot, but it was a step in that general direction.

"I'll be fine." He assured me when I hovered over him hours later. We had been standing in the kitchen and he had been busy making tea when he had caught me watching him from the corner of my eye.

I blushed, but didn't deny it. I looked at him, studying his slightly pained movements.

"You should have let me heal you completely." I said. "I can do that you know? That's the beauty of Medical Ninjutsu."

"Yeah, well you're not as good as you think you are with it." Sasuke said. "Besides…who knows if you'll need all that chakra."

I flushed, hating how right he was. I was good at healing but it took a lot out of me and sure I had a lot more chakra to tap into, but that meant activating my Curse mark and that was something I never wanted to do. I was sure a few weeks of training under Tsunade could set my medical jutsu straight, but it was something I simply didn't have much time for.

As for the chakra I would have spent healing him completely, it was chakra I could save in case Rukia and Ren or whoever else came our way. Which, at this point, could be any second.

He lifted the pot, his hand trembling slightly and I walked over, taking the pot from him and pouring the still bubbling water into his cup. I set the pot back on the stove when I felt just how close to him I had gotten. I could feel the heat coming off his body, feel him standing just behind me, and I could hear his breaths, slow and relaxed.

I fought the urge to glance back at him and instead stepped to the side, putting distance between us. I nodded toward his cup, barely able to meet his gaze and knowing that if I managed to, I would blush.

"Sorry." I managed.

He didn't respond but one glance at his feet confirmed that he was staring at me. His whole body was turned toward me and it made my stomach tighten. I left right after and found Naruto and Granny seated on the table in the dining area. The scroll was between them and the hole at the center stared up at them, taunting.

"No one in their right mind would accept this." Granny sighed while Miroku purred on her lap.

I lowered my head while Naruto folded his arms.

"Well they're heading to the same place, don't you think?" Naruto asked. "They have to be. If they were willing to follow us all the way here and send people after us…that's their destination too."

"That means that this scroll has to stand for something else…" Granny said, thinking.

I eased down beside Naruto. "Do you know anything about it, Granny?"

She huffed and started to rub Miroku's pink skin.

"I've heard stories of the land but I've never heard of the scroll. What a village that's barely on any maps needs with a scroll like that…is beyond me." Granny said. "It's worth more than the entire village combined."

The only thing I could think of was of the scrolls monetary value. It was precious to the small village because it was all they had. It was what kept them running, what kept people interested in their lands. I hadn't stopped to think that maybe it's worth went beyond that.

"That's because it's more than just some scroll." Sasuke spoke and slowly, we all turned to face him.

He was leaning against the door frame, his expression even and one of his hands was on his hip.

Naruto's brow furrowed. "What is it then?"

Sasuke looked at us, registering our confusion before he started toward the table. He slid into a spot right beside me and again I became aware of how close he was to me. I flushed, unable to hold it back.

"It's a treasure map." Sasuke said. "The poem…the poem is a clue."

"A clue to what?" Naruto asked.

"You were after a sword." I mumbled, my mind racing. "You said you needed the scroll."

Naruto's expression became skeptical. "You needed that terrible poem to find your sword?"

"It's not just any sword." Sasuke said. "Loser."

Naruto's brow twitched in irritation but he controlled himself.

Granny nodded. "Kusanagi."

I blinked at her. "What did you say?"

Granny looked at Sasuke, her expression hard. "The Sword of Kusanagi. That's the sword you're looking for is it not?"

I glanced up at Sasuke and found that he was staring at her, unchanged.

"Yes." He responded a moment later.

It was impossible. I remembered that Orochimaru wielded the same sword. I had never heard of there being more than one. Unless, he had lost the sword and that was Sasuke's task. To find it and bring it back.

"The snake sword." Granny said.

"That's impossible." I said looking up at Sasuke defiantly. "There's only one of those swords and Orochimaru has it."

Sasuke glanced down at me and I felt the familiar heat rise up in my cheeks. I jumped out of my seat and stepped beside Granny. The closeness was throwing me off, making my cheeks burn.

Sasuke shook his head. "There is more than one."

I opened my mouth, ready to continue protesting when Granny cut in.

"He's right. Before you three were born, there were two swords of Kusanagi."

I looked at Granny, my eyes wide.

"Orochimaru had found one but he had always been trying to seek the other. Legend had it that one sword lied somewhere in the south and the other somewhere in the north." Granny said. "Clearly the one that Orochimaru had found lied in the south because we're all heading north now."

"What's so special about this sword anyway?" Naruto asked, not seeming impressed.

"It's blade is retractable and it can be controlled telekinetically." I said. "Among other things."

"That's Orochimaru's sword." Sasuke said. "This other sword is different."

I glanced at him. "How is it different?"

"Same name but different abilities." Granny said. "If I remember correctly, the sword mentioned in the legend could cut through anything."

"Anything?" Naruto asked.

Granny nodded. "Supposedly."

I folded my arms and looked at Sasuke. "There has to be more to it than that. Orochimaru wouldn't want something like that. It does nothing for him."

Sasuke looked at me again and I fought the urge to blush even though I was sure my face looked a little flushed regardless.

"Maybe he doesn't want it." Granny suggested.

"But why would _they_ want it?" Naruto asked. "Your brother and sister?"

I held my breath, figuring that the loss of oxygen might be better motivation to end our problem.

"Rukia's sword is broken now." Granny pointed out.

"But it wasn't before." I said. "It has to be some sort of mission they were hired for. Some random crime lord must want it."

"It's how they've been getting by all these years." Granny pointed out.

"So that's their reason?" Naruto asked.

"But, how?" I asked. "How does that poem help? It doesn't say anything."

"It's all descriptions." Sasuke said. "Each verse. It maps out a location, describes the sword even."

I was ready to deny it when I remembered the poem, it's words playing over and over again in my head.

 _At the center of three powers, it stands as a pillar of memory._

 _A valley of Death, history etched into its protruding pieces of white._

 _Sharp as the piercing winds, howling through the valley with all of its might._

I went over to my backpack and pulled out the map. I opened it up on the table and sure enough found that the graveyard was between three powers. The Leaf, the Sand, and the Cloud.

Naruto stared down at the map. "Why that village though, of all places?"

"It's where forgotten things lie." I explained.

Naruto nodded. "So it's not meant to be found."

"But seeking it out disturbs the peace of that land, tampers with the sacredness of it." Granny said.

"We can't let them take that sword." I said. "We can't even let them get to that village. They'll hurt people, try to turn the whole thing upside down until they find it."

Granny nodded. "Innocent people will die."

"So we have to keep moving." Naruto said, pushing up from the table.

"Not tonight though." Granny advised.

Naruto looked at her, his expression incredulous. "What are you talking about, Granny? You just said people could die."

Granny nodded. "You're right, I did say that." She pushed herself up from the table and walked toward where her slippers lay at the door.

"But the only way to get there even faster is to take a boat through all that uncharted land." Granny said.

I looked down at the map and pressed my lips together. She was right, it was the fastest route, a route that my siblings had probably not even thought about. Only steam ships passed through the area mostly because of all the heavy and thick ice that came about once one passed through the Frost Village.

"How else can we get there? It would be foolish to run across it." I said.

"We need a boat of course." Granny said.

"But we would need a steam boat and who would give us one of those?" I asked, my hands on my hips. "We need another plan, Granny."

She looked at me. "Which is what Naruto and I will be working on."

Naruto arched an eyebrow while Miroku stretched under the table.

"You and me?" He asked. "Where are we going? Why do I have to go?"

Granny shot him a look. "Because you and the other boy can't be trusted alone."

Naruto opened his mouth to protest but ended up shooting Sasuke a dark glare instead. Sasuke scoffed, folding his arms across his chest before flinching slightly as his shoulder rolled.

"What are we supposed to do?" I asked stepping forward, not wanting to be left alone with Sasuke. I felt uncertain, like a child almost. Being alone with him meant that we had to talk and I would have to apologize somehow. But, I wasn't ready to forgive or talk anything out.

Granny shook her head. "Watch the Uchiha until we come back."

"What's the plan exactly?" Sasuke asked.

"I have a friend in this town. I'm going to pay them a visit." Granny said before urging Naruto on. "Get a move on boy! We don't have all day no do we?"

Naruto groaned and pushed up to his feet. A moment later, they were leaving and I had to fight the childish urge to run after them. We were left in mutual silence, me staring at the door and Sasuke staring out the window that overlooked the back of the village and its rocky hillside.

My hands trembled. The inevitable was approaching. In a few moments, one of us needed to do or say something and I feared what he would say. I looked around, feeling nervous and swung around to face him just as his eyes lifted to my face. He had been staring at me and I found myself curious to find out exactly how long.

"I'm going to bed." I managed.

He blinked at me.

"Isn't it to earl—"

"I'm going to nap." I cut him off and before I could change my mind I quickly made my way down the hall, escaping into my bedroom and shutting the door behind me. I eased down onto my bed and held my breath.

I scolded myself for being such a baby. I had given him a piece of my mind before, what was wrong with giving it to him again? Yet, he had come back. He had come back and defended me even though he hadn't needed to. He had done it so smoothly as if it had been second nature to him, as if he had hardly needed to think twice about it.

I eyed the door, my throat feeling tight. I didn't hear him and wondered if I had just left him dumbfounded in the same spot by the table. But, just because he had saved me it didn't change things.

I hugged myself and closed my eyes hearing the floor creak slightly in the hallway. I told myself that nothing had changed really. So what if he had come back? What did that change? He had still hurt me and he had left me. I needed time to heal those wounds.

My door creaked open and my eyes snapped open as I looked toward it. Sasuke was standing in the doorway and he was staring at me, his hand resting on the knob.

"What?" I asked after a moment.

He looked me over and took a step inside. I stood up and shook my head.

"I told you I was trying to rest."

"I just wanted to see if you needed anything."

"No." I said. "I'm fine. You can go."

But he didn't move. He stood in the doorway and when I took a step forward his grip on the knob tightened.

"Do _you_ need something?" I asked, my voice low.

He looked me over and I noted the darker tint in his eyes when he made it back to my face. I shivered, feeling unsure and yet unable to say anything or turn away.

He started toward me and I stood, motionless until he was standing right in front of me. I knew I should have moved. I knew that I should have given some sort of rejection. I should have held up my hands, been defensive. But, my arms stood at my side and I stared up at him, not fearful but interested, my eyes wide with confusion and innocence while my insides quivered with anticipation.

I could _smell_ him. I could _feel_ him and the memories, all of our good memories came back to me all at once. I wanted him more than anything in that moment and knew no matter how upset I had been or was, none of it mattered. I cared about him. My heart had broken when I had seen him get hurt and the wound hadn't even been life-threatening.

I wasn't sure what it was with us, not really. I found it hard at times to even comprehend what was wrong with us, if there was even anything wrong to begin with. I was drawn to him, wanting him when I knew it was wrong, when I knew deep down inside that I should want the very opposite. Everyone had told me to stay away, everyone had said that he wouldn't be good, that the darkness in his eyes was real and thick and impossible. But, I still wanted to try and navigate through it.

I realized staring up into his eyes that there was no getting around that fact, not getting over whatever it was that made me stand on edge, that made excitement brew in my belly whenever he so much as looked at me. It had always been there and I knew it always would. There are somethings in life that you can deal with, put away with even but for me, in my life, Sasuke Uchiha was not any of those things and he would never be.

And that…that was the biggest fact of them all.

He placed a hand on the side of my cheek and just as the hot rush of scarlet rushed across my cheek, he leaned closer, his lips hovering just over mine, his breaths slow and deep. My lips trembled, my blood rushed throughout my body. He knew how to tease me, how to read me and none of that had changed in the past few months of our separation. He was foreign to me all over again but I was nothing more than a well-worn book to him.

I reached up, sliding a hand across his chest, feeling the muscles rippling across my palm. It felt as good as it had the first time and that's how it always was. Like the first time, just better. Already the pleasure was at the ceiling and it was impossible to imagine it getting any higher until it burst through the roof and stretched out toward the sky and the stars and whatever lied beyond that.

"We can't…" I breathed trying to put a little bit of force in my hand but instead managing to grasp at his shirt.

He didn't say anything at first but he tilted my head back slightly, so that he could get a better look at me. His lips were right over mine and I could feel the heat emanating, practically smell the desire burning on his breath. It was intoxicating, overwhelming and my knees wobbled.

"Why?" He asked, his voice rough, husky almost. He smirked right after and lowered his head, pressing a soft kiss to the side of my neck.

I inhaled. "N-Naruto and Gran-Granny."

His shoulders shook slightly and I felt the slight tremor of his lips against my skin. He was chuckling. He pulled back and looked down at me and I knew just by looking at him that they were the least of his worries.

"Stop with all the worrying." He said. "It's annoying."

I couldn't even respond before he crushed his lips against mine and pulled me close against his body. I could barely get a breath in as he led the way to my bed. I held on to him, kissing him back with the same intensity until he pulled away and pushed me back. I gasped, landing breathless and red-faced as he stared down at me.

I swallowed and watched as he pulled off his shirt before reaching down for me, making my heart race. He was hovering over me a moment after and when I opened my mouth to speak, to ask why he was just staring at me, he kissed me again. I gripped him just as tightly as he gripped me, my nails digging into the flesh on his back.

It was intoxicating, exhilarating and wrong and the best part was that I never wanted it to end. The passion, the toe-curling passion, filled the air around us and each kiss made me forget everything that stressed me. The mission, my siblings, my anger at him, my hatred for Orochimaru…Granny's premonition. All of it, fading to the background while Sasuke helped me focus on the present.

His hand tangled in my hair, his tongue sliding out to lick my lips occasionally and the whole time I felt myself standing right at the edge, wanting more and more not satisfied for how close we were already. I reached for his pants while he pulled the zipper on my one-piece down, his fingertips brushing along my sides.

We pulled away a moment later for air but he quickly dived back down, trailing kisses down the length of my neck. I breathed, heavy and hard and reached up with one hand, clutching him to me while the other felt like it had broken through the skin on his back. I hissed when he nibbled on a pressure point on my neck and as he pulled up, I placed my hands on the sides of his face.

We stared at each other, both of us hungry for the other, ready to devour. I looked at him, studied the curve of his jaw, felt the line of his lips, and studied the onyx color in his eyes. My heart swelled with an emotion that I couldn't place, an emotion I couldn't begin to describe. It felt light and airy, true and real. It felt like it had been there all along but I could never remember feeling it in the first place. I licked my now swollen lips while he traced a finger over my scar, finding it on the first try.

"I…" My voice was hoarse and low and I shifted underneath him as if that would make it all better.

"I…I love you." I managed after what felt like an eternity.

He stared down at me, not giving anything away with his expression. I could barely process my words and even though they did a good job at getting some of the feeling out, it didn't get all of it. It still felt unfinished.

I could feel more words bubbling to the surface and knew that if they left my lips they would ruin the moment. He was one step ahead of me and he lowered his head to mine and kissed me gently at first, before picking up the same breathless intensity as before, silencing me.


	12. Chapter 11: The Demon, Unleashed!

**Chapter 11: The Demon, Unleashed!**

We were on a steam boat to the Bone Village that same night and as we took off, it started to snow, light at first but it grew heavier and heavier the further in we sailed. An hour into the trip and nothing could be seen for miles, just a thick cloud of white and the occasional heavy, white flecks.

We were riding in the cargo area and above, the ship's captain, Granny's friend, had reminded us that it was the best he could do on such short notice. Granny had said it was fine but now that we were here, stuffed into a cramped space with boxes all around us tied to the floor, I couldn't help but think the opposite. Naruto's foot was shaking and he looked a little worse for wear as the boat rocked gently from side to side. I was sitting beside Sasuke and had a hand on his lap, something that Naruto noted the moment he saw my body shift from the corner of his eye.

I felt guilty, like I had to say something but I wasn't sure what to say. That everything between Sasuke and I had been fixed? Of course not, we were far from it, but all we had done, all we had confirmed was that there was something there, something between us.

Granny sat beside Naruto and was busy knitting a scarf or a blanket, I couldn't tell. Miroku was scurrying about trying to catch mice or whatever it was that darted around quickly from the corner of my eyes.

"How's your shoulder?" I asked, turning to face Sasuke.

He licked his lips and looked down at his bandaged shoulder. I had been sure to change it before we left and noted that it wasn't as bad. He could even move it a little more.

"Fine." He said.

I nodded and looked back toward Granny only to find Naruto looking at me. I flushed and looked away but I saw Sasuke shift in his seat.

"What's your problem?" Sasuke asked and I slid my hand off of his leg, putting it instead on my lap.

"What do you plan to do after this is all over?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke stared at him. "What does it matter to you?"

"After you get your stupid sword, what happens next?"

"I go back."

I looked at him, knowing full well that the storm brewing between them was not about me or my feelings. But, that didn't mean I couldn't think it. But, thinking it would put me right back where I had been from the beginning.

Naruto's hands balled into tight fists. "And do what?"

"Continue my training."

"No."

"No, what?" Sasuke asked, not bothering to mask his irritation.

"You're not doing that."

"Says who?" Sasuke growled.

"You're coming back home." Naruto said, pushing to his feet. "I'm not letting you go back there."

"This is neither the time nor the place for this right now." Granny advised but not really sounding like she meant it. I knew she was interested in whatever was going on but she wanted to remind them where they were even if it was fleeting.

"Naruto." I said, my voice firm. "Maybe save this for when we touchdown on land?"

"No." Naruto said and he looked at me, his eyes piercing. "Tell him, Miyuki."

"Tell me what?" Sasuke asked, looking down at me.

I looked at him, feeling powerless and speechless.

"You two forget that you can't tell me what I can and cannot do." Sasuke grumbled, standing up and walking to the back of the boat.

"I can't tell you, but I'm standing by what I said. You're not going back there."

Sasuke turned to glare at him. "What's with your obsession with me, Naruto?"

Naruto didn't even stiffen but I blinked between the two of them.

"I told you already."

Sasuke laughed, cruelly and shook his head. "Bonds. Brothers. That's what you think we are? What we have? I severed that bond with you and everyone else already."

"No, you didn't." Naruto said. "Because a bond like that can't be broken."

"Says who!?" Sasuke snapped, his eyes dark.

"That's enough." I said and stepped in front of Sasuke.

"No one has to say it." Naruto growled. "It's obvious."

Sasuke was standing in front of him a moment later and Granny shook her head while Miroku hissed from on top of one of the boxes. I raced over to them and struggled to wedge myself between them.

"That's enough you two!" I said, my hands on their chests as I held them apart. The boat hit a rocky patch and everything shook. I lost my footing for a brief moment and felt two hands come down on my stomach to steady me. I flushed and looked down, finding both Sasuke's and Naruto's hands on my stomach.

The action only seemed to anger them even more.

"He's a bad person, Sasuke! He's just using you! You're stupid if you go back to him!" Naruto snapped.

Sasuke snickered. "You don't know the first thing about anything. You only think you do which is what makes you so annoying."

"Sasuke." I said as their hands slid away and they glared at each other. I turned to look at him.

"You only get annoyed because you know that I'm right." Naruto said.

"Shut up." Sasuke growled.

"Make me." Naruto countered

"No." I said to him before placing my hands on Sasuke's face, struggling to turn his gaze toward me. "Sasuke…Sasuke…"

He didn't respond and his body was tense as he glared at Naruto.

"Sasuke, please stop. Look at me. Look at me." I begged and finally, finally he glanced down at me and I took a breath of relief. "Stop this…stop this please it's not worth it."

He looked back at Naruto, his eyes like daggers and pulled away from me, giving me his back as he walked further down the boat.

I turned to face Naruto who was glaring at his retreating form and pressed my knuckles against his chest.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked.

He looked down at me, surprised.

"You want him back? Not like this, not here and certainly not now. It's dangerous, Naruto."

His jaw clenched. "I know that."

"Yes, well if you knew tha—" Sasuke darted past me, his arm reaching past my face and a moment later they were slamming against the side of the boat. They skidded back, knocking into boxes and smashing them, their insides spilling out. The boat groaned and creaked in response and I could feel the slight shift that wasn't caused by the storm outside.

My eyes widened as Sasuke held Naruto up by his throat while Naruto gripped Sasuke's arm with one hand and Sasuke held his fist with his other hand.

"I'd do anything to wipe the hope from your eyes." Sasuke growled.

"Sasuke!" I said, running to him and pulling on the back of his shirt. "Stop this! Leave Naruto alone!"

"I promised that I'd bring you back." Naruto said. "I'm going to keep my word. I'll bring you back, you'll see even if I have to drag you back by your teeth!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Will you two idiots stop your nonsense?" Granny bellowed, making me flinch in response.

I glanced back at her.

"You're both acting like children." Granny said. "Just when I thought you two, especially you Naruto were starting to be men."

They glanced over at her and my hand slid away from Sasuke's back.

"You boy, Sasuke…I can hear your ancestors crying." Granny said and then nodded at Naruto. "As for you boy, use your head. Don't instigate. Look around. Take a good look out that window. You break this boat and we get stranded here. The next and only option is us having to go outside and we have to walk the rest of the way. It's freezing cold outside and even with our cloaks, it's not enough."

Naruto looked down while Sasuke continued to stare at her, defiant.

"And I doubt that you two want to carry Miyuki and I the rest of the way. You won't have feet by the time we reach the Graveyard."

They pushed away from each other, neither of them shooting the other a glance as they walked to respective corners. I watched them go, torn between who to go to first.

"So much hate…so much resentment…" Granny said, shaking her head. "You three are nothing more than drama."

I looked at her. Three? I hadn't even done anything, but there was no telling Granny that. She would bring me under with little to no problem.

I went to my own corner and eased down on one of the crates while Miroku rubbed himself on my feet. Granny went back to knitting and Naruto stared out the window while Sasuke stared at a wall. Once again we were separated but I realized that maybe that was what we had been all along.

…

We docked a few hours later and as soon as the cargo door opened, we piled out to a find ourselves surrounded by a line of tall trees and mountain ranges poking out between them. It was dead silent, the air a little chilly and I hugged my cloak closer to my body.

"It will be a little bit of a walk from here but this as close as I can get, Lady Aō." The captain, a tall and muscular man said with a grin.

Granny turned and shot him a kind smile. "This is more than enough. You went further in than I expected."

The man nodded. "You know it will never be enough after all that you did for my wife and I. We'll be forever grateful for Momoki."

He left shortly after wishing us all the best of luck and it was only when his boat was heading back into the water, heading back toward the storm that we had managed to make it out of, that I turned to Granny.

"Who's Momoki?" I asked.

"Their child." Granny answered with a pleasant smile.

"You _gave_ them a child?" Naruto asked.

Granny shot him a look. "No you nitwit! I helped them make a child."

That made them launch into an argument as we started into the woods, Granny on Naruto's back again, while Sasuke and I ran behind them.

We ran in relative silence but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I didn't steal the occasional glance in his direction. I couldn't get over his actions on the boat and more still, I couldn't get over his attitude now. I thought back to what Naruto had said, something about their bond being unbreakable. They had never seemed very close to me but Sakura said that they did have great teamwork.

"We're getting close." Granny called, disrupting my thoughts. I looked up and sure enough I could see it. Poking out from behind the sea of trees were bits of white. The closer we drew, the bigger the white pieces became and the narrower our path. Branches wrapped around the white pieces, some bigger than my own body until I realized that they were bone, some withering away, some hollowed out. Regardless, it was getting harder and harder to navigate through the thick brush and soon we'd have to drop to the forest floor where I was sure it was even harder.

We dropped a few yards away and the moment we hit the forest floor, I felt smaller than small. Looking around at the bones jutting out from the ground and the trees, their eye sockets hollow and filled with cobwebs, it struck me about all that had existed before me. Massive creatures walking all over the world, their steps bigger than mine and able to make trees shake.

"What are we going to do once we find them?" Naruto asked as Granny slid off of his back.

I was sure we hadn't thought about it. Surely, we would fight but the plan for the scroll had never been discussed. I glanced around when I remembered that even though we were running seemingly blindly through the forest, we didn't know exactly what we were looking for. Rukia and Ren could hide their chakra trail and for all we knew were watching us through the trees. We needed a better plan but more than that we needed to figure out the location of the sword itself. The only problem was, we really didn't know where to start.

"It's in the scroll." Sasuke said when the silence had reached an all-time high. I glanced at him.

"He's right." Granny said. "We already know they're after the scroll."

"But what does that crappy scroll have to do with anything? All it has is a stupid poem." Naruto said.

"It's a location." Sasuke cut in right after Naruto. "Unfinished or not, everything needed is on there."

 _At the center of three powers, it stands as a pillar of memory._

 _A valley of Death, history etched into its protruding pieces of white._

 _Sharp as the piercing winds, howling through the valley with all of its might._

I thought back to the poem, imagining even the ink blotches and the viciously crossed out words. Angry, that's what it had been but the poem itself had seemed like a description.

"I don't get it." Naruto said after a moment.

"It talks about being at the center, surrounded by words scribbled onto bone." Sasuke explained, his voice firm, his eyes closed. He seemed bored, over everything, as if we were holding him back.

"It lies where the wind whistles." Granny said. "In a valley."

"So we just have to get to the center of this place." I said and thought about it, picturing our location on a map. "Which we're coming up on."

"So the sword will be there?" Naruto asked.

"Hopefully we get it first, we can use it as leverage." Granny said with a firm nod.

"There's no leverage." Sasuke said as he started walking. "The sword is mine."

I glared at him. "We need the scroll back."

"You're the one who threw it at me in the first place." Sasuke countered, making me flush.

"You're going to help us!" Naruto growled.

"Says who?" Sasuke asked and he stopped walking as he turned back to glare at us. "Don't act all high and mighty with me, Naruto."

"He's not acting high and mighty." I said, stepping in and earning a look in the process.

"After that stunt you pulled on the boat, it's the least you could do." I said.

He said nothing but turned away, probably seething but I knew at least for now I had proven a point, somehow. Naruto still seemed upset but he shot me a firm nod and together we moved forward again. Sasuke led us, Naruto walked a foot or so behind him and Granny and I walked side by side, out of earshot from Naruto.

"How long?" Granny asked as I helped her over a log.

I looked at her, blushing accidentally with the mere thought. Where to begin?

"What?" I swallowed.

Granny stepped over the log and we pushed on while she shot me a look

"That boy. The Uchiha." She said. "You two."

I looked at Sasuke, remembering how happy I had been to be back in his arms, overwhelming. I had held him close and remembered the stinging behind my eyes that let me know tears were soon to follow. I hadn't wanted him to see me cry, to see how happy one little bump in the road made me. It had been all I ever wanted, to be close to him and yet…I hated myself for wanting it.

"I met him on a mission in the Land of Waves originally." I said. "But officially we met in Konoha."

Granny nodded.

"We…" I licked my lips, my word choice shortening, my head starting to ache. I had never described Sasuke and I to everyone. Megumi-sensei had just assumed and then found out but the boys were still oblivious. To them, I had tried to woo Sasuke and had failed. Then there was Naruto who hadn't asked anything really.

"It just happened…one day." I said, feeling like it was a lie but also like it was the truth. It had been a vital point in our relationship and I remembered as much as my heart pounded in my chest, as much as my palms itched and sweat, it had felt right. He had felt like the missing puzzle piece in my life but at the same time there were days, moments even where no matter how hard I tried, his piece couldn't fit. But, it always looked like it could.

"That boy…" Granny began.

"He's like me." I said.

"He's not like you." Granny said. "Never say that."

I glanced at her, confused. "Wh-what do you mean?"

Granny looked at me. "Similar situations? Maybe. Outcomes? That boy has a storm behind his eyes, a storm you keep trying to jump into, trying to put at ease. You can only do but so much and you know this, Miyuki. You've always known this deep down. But, you're letting your emotions get the better of you."

She sounded like everyone else. I looked away, feeling a pain shoot across my chest. I didn't want to hear anymore. I just wanted to be left alone, pretend even for one second that maybe it wasn't so. That maybe there was some way, somehow Sasuke could show everyone that what they were saying wasn't true.

"I know." I managed.

"As for the two of them…" Granny said. "Such hostility, such hatred."

"They're rivals." I mumbled.

"More than that." Granny said. "They haven't told you everything. Naruto thinks and feels something different and that boy…Sasuke is over it all. He'd rather rid himself of all emotions and it's a miracle even that he has time for you."

"I haven't seen him in a while." I said.

"He was probably trying to forget you." Granny said. "Which is probably for the best."

I looked at her, feeling my cheeks redden as anger bubbled in my stomach. Who was she to stick her two-sense into my relationship? Who was she to give her opinion when she didn't even know the whole story? She hadn't been there when he told me that he needed me. She hadn't been there when he said I mattered to him. She didn't know. She didn't know half of it.

"He can put you in danger." Granny said.

"Danger?" I snapped, maybe a little too loudly. We stopped walking soon after and I glared down at her.

"I've stared danger in the face." I said. "The trouble you're talking about is Orochimaru and I've been through that and back."

Granny stared up at me, shaking her head. "You don't understand."

"I'm in even bigger danger walking through this forest with Rukia and Ren walking around." I said. "That's danger that's bigger fear than him."

"Miyuki."

"You're the one who doesn't understand." I snapped. "But you're standing around pretending like you do which is even worse!"

"You don't know what he's capable of." Granny said.

My glare deepened. "He's an idiot." I snapped. "I'll give him that but, that's about it."

"That you know of." Granny said as I waved a hand through the air, determined to end our conversation as I started walking again.

"I'm done talking about this." I said.

"You're being defensive." Granny called.

"You're being overdramatic." I shot back before turning to shoot another comment when something flashed through the air, something silver. My eyes widened as it caught Granny right in the chest and not soon after another barrage of kunai shot out from the tree tops. Every sound faded to the background as I watched the shock register in Granny's eyes, her head lowering to look at the kunai wedged into her chest. She turned pale, ghostly pale as she started to fall back. Miroku wiggled free of the bag just in time, making it into the brush just before Granny dropped to the ground and I opened my mouth to cry out.

"NO!" I screamed, feeling tears form and fall in my eyes. I shot forward, running with everything I had to her body just as Naruto pulled me back. He pulled me to the side, our bodies slamming onto the ground just as chuckling rang out from the trees.

I was gasping when I hit the ground, my head slamming onto it, snapping a stray twig in half. I stared up at the sky for a moment, wishing I could hear something, anything. I could feel Naruto talking, shouting at me but I couldn't move, couldn't hear. I could only lie there and stare up at the sky, replaying the kunai barrage and Granny's body hitting the ground.

"Now you've officially lost everything." Rukia said, her voice cruel.

"With the exception of these two fools." Ren said.

"But they're a work in progress."

The sound came back suddenly, just their voices, though and it filled my heart with rage and sadness, making the weight on my chest that much heavier.

Naruto said something else, his lips moving harshly, angry spittle flying out of his mouth as he glared up at something I couldn't turn my head to see.

I felt it then, waves of pain shooting through my body and thought for a moment that maybe somehow I too had been hit and this was me, bleeding out, waiting for death to take over. But, someone reached down and pulled me harshly to my feet, shaking me out of it. I stumbled, feeling sick to my stomach churning, my head spinning and suddenly I could see her, Granny on the ground, a puddle of blood gathering under her body.

"You bastards!" Naruto shouted and he started making hand signs, multiple clones appearing before they charged.

I couldn't take my eyes off of Granny's body, unmoving. She was gone, I was sure of it and I felt more alone than I had the day Sayuri died. I was alone. Truly alone and I felt just as useless.

"Take this!" Naruto shouted as I turned my head to see Rukia and Ren clashing with the Naruto's. I looked to the side, finding Sasuke's hand still firm on my arm. I couldn't even feel the warmth of his touch, just the pounding in my head felt real to me and the wetness on my cheeks.

"Snap out of it." Sasuke growled, his voice deep as Ren cut through a barrage of Naruto's and shot toward us.

I couldn't move. All I could do was turn right back to Granny on the ground, my heart sinking, the world around me beginning to crumble.

Sasuke moved first reaching out to block Ren with a kunai and Ren snickered.

"So weak." He huffed, pushing away. "No sister of mine could be so weak."

His words stung but they made me think back to Sayuri who hadn't had a chance to fight. My siblings, their guts spilling out on our floors, mixing in with the cracks in the floorboards. My parents, slumped piles on the side, their gazes far away and then Granny pale and still on the forest floor. None of them had had a chance to defend themselves, to even know what their sad outcomes would be but that didn't make them weak.

Sasuke made hand signs and cupped one of his hands just as his Chidori appeared and he shot forward, trying to hit Ren who dodged and kicked Sasuke back.

"Going to have to do better than that, Uchiha." Ren said. "Your brother was right."

Sasuke's eyes darkened. "How do you know my brother?"

"We met him of course. He told us all about you." Ren said, pulling out his blade. "How weak you are. How the silly emotion you have against him is not strong enough, not nurtured enough."

"We give you credit though." Rukia grunted, working her way through Naruto's clones, not letting them slow her down or tire her out for one second.

"To commit your life to taking someone down." Ren said before shooting forward. "It's so…poetic."

"The exact opposite of our sister who keeps our memory alive by having night terrors." Rukia scoffed.

My tears fell faster as soon as my eyes widened. They knew. They knew about my nightmares. They knew which meant…which meant they had watched me. All these years they had been so close, had probably been standing outside my doorway, looking down to my window. I shivered, struggling to swallow as I stepped back, my knees shaking.

They had been watching me all that time, able to kill me at any moment and they hadn't. It bothered me, knowing how close they had been.

"Don't talk about Miyuki that way!" The real Naruto growled, shooting out from the small crowd behind Rukia with a Rasengan in his palm. She swung around and caught his extended arm before it could touch her before aiming his arm down to the ground. The ground exploded around them but Naruto shot out from the dust cloud while Rukia flipped out of it, a little dirty, but not hurt, not in the least. In fact, she seemed amused.

Naruto went flying back, slamming against a tree trunk before rolling to the ground, his body shaking slightly. He had caught the aftermath of his attack, had charged in without thinking of a way out. He hadn't expected her to dodge and he was paying for it with her counter.

"Reckless." Rukia said with a snarky smile.

"Careful boy." Ren said. "Moves like that will get you killed."

"Which comes right after us chopping you up into pieces right before Miyuki's eyes." Rukia finished, running toward Naruto.

I opened my mouth to say something, to scream something, but nothing come out, just a straggled breath and I dropped to the ground, my legs giving out. She was heading for Naruto, heading right for him with a drawn blade and still, I was frozen.

Sasuke reacted first, forming hand signs and a clone appeared just in time to grab onto Rukia just as Ren shot toward the real Sasuke. Sasuke braced himself, lifting an arm to throw off Ren's aim and I watched as the sword dipped up at the last moment, slicing upward, cutting off a small part of Sasuke's bangs.

"Nice one." Ren chuckled.

"Not good enough, though." Rukia said, dispelling the clone which gave Naruto a good chance to push up to his feet. He went for Ren again who dodged him before kicking him back to the ground, his body bouncing once.

I looked back at Granny and found multiple kunai jutting out from her corpse and once again, like always, I could hear them, the screams ringing through my ears. Screams from my past with Orochimaru, locked rooms with fearful energies clashing in the darkness. Screams as I broke their bones and their bodies, leaving them jumbled messy piles on the ground. Sayuri's face flashed in my eyes just as Sasuke sent out a fireball jutsu at Ren who laughed.

"Cute trick." Ren said. "Did your brother teach it to you?"

"Shut up!" Sasuke growled, his Sharingan appearing as he shot forward once more, engaging Ren with hand to hand combat.

I remembered the mission and the sword then, imagined it nestled somewhere just ahead, jutting out of a rock perhaps. It was our mission before all of this madness. I knew it and yet…

My foot slid forward, dust rising with the tiny movement. I had to move, had to help. I couldn't think about it. I just had to move.

Naruto cried out, Rukia throwing him over her shoulder, sending him flying back and he landed in a dusty pile, groaning.

"Useless." Rukia said, her eyes landing on me. "All of you."

I shivered under her gaze.

"Miyuki, move." Sasuke growled.

Rukia was coming toward me and all I could do was crawl back until she was standing right in front of me, snickering. It felt like the first time, me too petrified to move from just the sight of them. But, it was different now, I knew that much and still, it was hard.

She lifted her foot, snickering all the while and before I could put two and two together, she was kicking me down to the ground.

"Miyuki!" Naruto called as my head slammed onto the ground again.

Another memory struck me as the fiery pain encircled my head. Me, lying on the ground that rainy night, my blood pooling my life feeling like it was draining out from me with every passing second. I had thought it was over and hadn't she been standing over me in just the same way? Like she had won. Then her smile…oh her smile.

Confident. Arrogant. Satisfied. Like they had won. Anger flared up inside of me, out of nowhere. They didn't deserve to feel that way. To look that way. Years had passed and sure I hadn't gotten any better but I was stronger. Was it strong enough? I would never know but I had something…had something inside that could come close, that could help get some sort of opening.

Orochimaru hadn't been able to control me and I in turn could hardly control it. But, it was all I had, my last option for defense. Once it took over, it was over. I'd take a back seat, let the demon react. It had been so long, so long until I had felt its blood lust, so powerful it made my stomach rumble, my mouth water.

I wanted to give them a taste of my power, even if it was fleeting. Even if my plan backfired. I wanted to see fear in their eyes even if it was for a millisecond. For just one moment, I didn't want to see their self-satisfied smirks and I felt entitled to it.

 _Kill. Destroy them. Kill._

It chanted within me and I gasped, feeling myself truly let go, feeling the walls and chained doors I had built around it internally fade to the background. Lying on my side, I could feel the pain a surging warmth cover my body just as I felt pressure on my back. I could feel myself fading away, hear Naruto's desperate cries and the more concerned he sounded the funnier it sounded to me. The funnier everything seemed to me. The green in the trees, the white on the bones, the clear blue sky above. I giggled, pushing myself up just as I felt one rip out of my back.

Orochimaru had once told me that the demon within me had had no name, no face. It had been seemingly unrecognizable but that didn't mean it couldn't be impressive in its own ways. It was a direct descendant from the Ten Tails, one of the most powerful creatures to walk the Earth. No face and no name, it was everything but useless but it contained the worst parts of the beast, it's insatiable hunger and craze.

"Wh-what's happening?" Naruto asked. His voice was muffled, far away almost. I could imagine him, sensing but not seeing, at least not the way Sasuke could. I was fading out, fading into the darkness while the demon took over, another one, another arm bursting out from my back, both of their jagged claws heading toward Rukia.

She didn't see it coming, but the best part came when it caught hold of her. The only sounds that echoed through the trees,were the sounds of her arm ripping out from its socket paired with her fiery shrieks.

But, beneath that was the rumbling in my chest, traveling up through my lungs until it left my lips and I found that it was laughter. I was laughing and cackling by the time her blood splashed across my face, warm against my cheeks.


	13. Chapter 12: The Wrath of the Nine Tails!

**Chapter 12: The Wrath of the Nine Tails!**

All I could see was red. All I could feel was the rumbling in my belly that travelled upward until it left my lips in a crazed giggle. It was complete, the demon taking over and I could feel Orochimaru's cursed mark trying to make it better, trying to pull it back, but it was different whenever I gave in. In the end, the demon was stronger than the mark and all the mark really did was keep it subdued to a certain extent. It was a purely emotional curse and once the urge was there, the urge for release, that was all it took for my demon to surface.

It was strange being controlled by it. I couldn't make out much of anything but I could feel my body struggling to dodge and move out of the way as incoming attacks whizzed past me. I could barely feel the ground quaking beneath my feet, barely hear everyone's voices. Everything was muffled and my body felt numb. All I really felt was the laughter, strong and consistent as Rukia's mangled arm lay limp and twitching slightly before me.

It felt like the old times, like all the other times with Orochimaru. Whenever he summoned my demon and forced me to hurt others, to break them to pieces, to puncture them. I had done it for his pride then, but now…now it was the first time ever that I had let it out willingly. I had always felt its pull, whenever my mood darkened and its voice was always deep and dark in the back of my head.

"MIYUKI!"

I felt my body tense up at the sound of the voice, booming and big and coming from somewhere above me. My laughter had cut short the moment my name had resonated and now all that remained was the aftermath of the voice, the stillness in the air and the stillness of my surroundings. It had been clear, not a warning but a calling and what struck me was the concern laced into its words. The voice sounded familiar but I couldn't place it.

There was another sound, a grumbling from the side and I could feel the arm moving to protect me right before more blood dripped to the ground. But, there was something else, something warm on my shoulder and I looked at it, my eyes warm as the warmness spread and suddenly I could feel a hand over my shoulder. It was firm, yet light and my stomach tightened as I remembered a hand with a similar touch tracing along my skin.

"MIYUKI!" Again the voice pierced through the cloud that felt like it had consumed me and this time it made my body shake as I struggled to see past the sea of red. It was blurry at first but the moment I could make out feet, the cursed mark took over and I could feel the pain radiating from my neck, the markings spreading over my skin as it pulled the demon back in.

I coughed, my stomach turning into itself as I lifted my blurry gaze and found Sasuke standing in front of me, one of his hands on my shoulders, his head down, his shoulders sagging. There was a sound as the arms retracted, similar to the sound that had echoed when I had ripped Rukia's arm out. Except, it was softer, not like the sound of bones snapping in two. I looked down, following the length of Sasuke's body and saw it, blood beginning to spread around his chest.

My eyes widened just as his hand slipped from my shoulder and he dropped to his knees as I reached out for him.

"Sasuke!" I breathed before I managed to look around. Everything around us was destroyed, trees lying in halves around us, and the ground upturned. The demon had thrashed around and I had let it and look where it had gotten me, look what it had done.

Sasuke winced in my arms and coughed up blood. I rolled him onto his back and saw his wound, a small hole near his left lung. It hadn't gone clean through his chest but the injury was severe nonetheless. I looked for Naruto and found that he was a few feet away, his mouth wide while Ren seemed to be trying to patch a pale Rukia up. He didn't have much time but me hurting Sasuke bought them some.

"I'm so sorry." I said, bringing a hand down to Sasuke's face. I had to heal him, had to alleviate his pain somehow. He was wheezing, his eyes shut, sweat dotting his brow. He was hurting. He was hurting and I had been the one to hurt him.

I knew my medical jutsu wasn't the greatest and I had never used it on such a severe injury. But, I knew enough to help him last, to help him make it until we could see a real medic.

"I'm…fine." Sasuke grunted, lifting a hand to his chest which only made the blood fall faster. My hands were trembling as I placed them over his and felt the iciness of his skin.

"Sasuke!" Naruto was standing just behind us, his jaw tight as he looked between us. He was wounded too, a few light scrapes and bruises dotting his face. He was dirty too and I knew somewhere between it all he had eaten dirt more times than he would have liked. Who knew what they had done to try and stop me and look where it had gotten them. I had been selfish, unleashing the demon and not even thinking about those around me. I had put them in danger, Sasuke and Naruto, the only two people I had left on this mission.

"I'm so sorry." I sniffed, my tears falling as I gripped his hand.

"Hang in there!" Naruto said. "We'll get you help."

I sniffed and placed my hands over his chest, my hands starting to glow green. I could see it then, his injury and the extent, deep but not quite. He could bleed out if the wound wasn't sealed right away and not by bandages, he needed more than that.

I wiped the tears from my eyes as Naruto looked on, his hands in tight fists at his sides.

"I can…I can help him." I said, looking at Naruto. "It won't do much but it's our best option."

Naruto nodded.

"Impressive!" Ren called, amusement in his voice. It made my stomach tighten but I got to work on healing Sasuke who coughed up more blood that I wiped from his mouth with my sleeve.

I glared up at him as he supported Rukia who was snickering. I didn't understand what was so funny, especially given her predicament. Her arm was still a few feet away from me and though it had stopped twitching, it looked fake now, the fingers curled inward slightly.

"Who knew our baby sister had such power?" Rukia managed.

"I'm gonna make you pay for that!" Naruto growled.

"But look where it got you!" Ren called. "Hurting one of your own, nearly killing him."

"Maybe killing him now for all you know." Rukia cut in.

"Such a brilliant ability in such a pitiful body." Ren said. "Such a shame!"

"Shut up!" Naruto snapped. "Stop talking!"

"All this preaching of friendship and love!" Ren said. "Two of the most useless things humans have at their disposal. Love holds you back, friendships bring you down! That boy in your arms! He's rid his heart of all of his friendships! All Uchiha's have!"

"And as for the love, he's learning that that might just be his downfall! He protected you and look where it got him? Look what his precious 'love' did!" Rukia growled. "There's no place for any of that in this world!"

"SHUT UP!" Naruto growled, pushing to his feet. He was glaring at them and his anger only made them laugh in response.

"You two don't know the first thing about anything!" Naruto growled. "How could speak like that? It's disgusting!"

"You don't know the first thing about this world!" Ren snapped.

"Maybe so…" Naruto growled through gritted teeth. "But I know that it's what you make it! I know that there is love in this world and that friendships really do matter. It's the bonds that we make with people that make everything easier! Don't talk down about stuff like that! Especially when you two don't even know the first thing about any of it!"

"You're all weak!" Ren snapped. "If you think speaking from the heart is going to get you all through this, you have another thing coming boy!"

"We'll show you…we'll show you where your pitiful love and all your big talk is good for!" Rukia shouted. "Just as we beat you all into the ground!"

"Oh yeah!?" Naruto growled, rage pulsing through his eyes. "Well let's see you try it then!"

He started forward then and Ren and Rukia jumped toward him, amusement lighting their features.

"Naruto!" I shouted after him, wanting to warn him but knowing that no matter what this was something, he was set on. He wanted to teach them a lesson and I knew deep down inside that it was long overdue.

They went at it and even though she was missing a limb, Rukia made up for it with her speed. It wasn't long before the two of them knocked Naruto off of his feet and punched him back. He went flying back, landing in a dusty heap a few feet away from me.

"Naruto! Are you alright?" I asked, sweat forming on my brow. This was bad. This was bad and I knew it but I couldn't move to help him because I was still healing Sasuke with my still trembling hands.

"That the best you got, boy?" Ren asked.

"I thought the love you spoke of was stronger than that." Rukia snickered. "I hope you have more to show us."

Naruto pushed to his feet, his body shaking as he seethed.

"Naruto don't let them get to you!" I called. "Don't listen to them!"

He shot forward again and they were just as ready to take him on as before, except this time they were even harsher with their blows and my eyes widened as I heard bones crack as they threw heavy punch after heavy punch. Naruto flew back once more and when he hit the ground, they came for him again. Ren kicked him back and Naruto coughed, blood spewing from his mouth as Rukia aimed lower and caught him on the underside of his jaw.

"Naruto!" I shouted.

He hit the ground, defeated and trembling, coughing up even more blood.

"Useless." Rukia grumbled, annoyed now as she rose to her feet. Her gaze landed on me and I stiffened immediately. There was no one else left. No one who could make an impact. Sasuke had knocked out the moment I started closing up his wound and I was nowhere near done. Naruto would probably get up but he would be delirious and I could see Ren kicking him back to the ground.

"Your turn, sister." Ren said.

"Your all monsters!" I shouted, tears welling in my eyes all over again.

"Don't be dramatic." Rukia growled. "You always get so dramatic when you're left alone."

"I heard you had grown to be a great kunoichi." Ren said. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed in you."

"We've fought with you plenty of times and not once have you lifted a finger." Rukia said. "All you've done is let these boys protect you."

"You've used them, Miyuki." Ren said.

They were walking toward me and I felt myself lose control of my jutsu. My trembling hands lifted away from Sasuke as I watched them approach me, their words repeating over and over in my head. They were right. Nothing had changed. All my training, all the years spent with Orochimaru even. I was a kunoichi and I was acting like some sort of weak peasant. My friends…my friends had given their all. Naruto and Sasuke were risking their lives for me and the least I could do was try.

I balled my hands into tight fists. Even if I was no match, standing around and taking it all put everyone's efforts, everyone's concerns to waste. I wasn't weak, wasn't a pushover. I had killed people, I had been a legend of sorts. Kyoske, Hideki and I had been a force to be reckoned with when we were younger and even after. We could be brutal, we never held back especially when no one we cared about was in danger. Everyone was down. All that was left was me and I didn't need the demon's powers to put up a fight. I had been foolish, desperate then but now…now I could think clearly. I could see clearer. I wasn't afraid and I don't think I had ever been. I had been stuck in the times, stuck believing that they could hurt me the same way. I had claimed it was different, I had claimed that I felt different even but the fact was, looking at them, I went back to that night and my guilt from watching Sayuri die…I let it over power everything else.

"Enough!" I growled, pushing to my feet and standing my ground.

This made them stop in their tracks and I watched as interest bubbled in Ren's eyes. I had been ready to say more when I felt it, a powerful wave of chakra filling the area, growing in intensity and pressure, making everything around us hot.

I looked to where it felt like it was coming from and saw that red chakra was beginning to bubble out from Naruto's skin. The bubbles formed faster and faster and soon, Naruto was being covered in the fiery chakra, pieces rising, like horns or long ears from the top of his head and three swinging appendages from his back side.

My eyes widened as Rukia started cackling.

"There it is!" She exclaimed. "True power!"

"True rage." Ren smirked, bracing himself.

Naruto growled, his eyes a piercing red, the markings on his cheeks, markings that had always looked like whiskers to me grew bigger, coarser. He looked feral, animalistic even and his nails had grown sharp, like claws.

"N-Naruto." I breathed. This had been the same power I had felt the first time we had met. This was the Nine Tailed Fox's power. The appendages…they were tails, three tails swishing back and forth viciously.

"This is what made him so delicious!" Rukia cackled.

"There's more though." Ren said, his eyes dark. "Show us demon! Show us what you can really do!"

Naruto shot forward and he was faster, as quick as lightening. He appeared before them a second later and tried to swipe at them but they dodged it. But, the subtle move of his arm made wind picked up, hot wind, that came out of nowhere and was powerful. I nearly fell back and had to brace myself with my hands on my knees.

He disappeared again, reappearing a moment later with his hands clasped above his head. As he came down, his hands swung forward, landing on the ground and making it crack. A fissure that rang long and was heading toward Rukia and Ren, where they stood by side, waiting.

"Water Style!" Ren growled. "Raging Waves!"

Naruto let out another roar and his body began to shake.

"Naruto! Naruto! Stop this!" I shouted. "It's alright! I can handle this!"

But he didn't listen to me. He couldn't hear me. I knew he was too far gone, much like I had been before Sasuke had stepped in. He was a good person, a kind person and hearing such hatred spew from more than one mouth was tough. They had gotten to him, but if they made him react anymore, if they pushed him too far he'd unleash his full potential, unleash the beast out here in the middle of nowhere.

I felt a hand come down over mine and looked down to find Sasuke awake, sweating and still a little pale but conscious nonetheless. That was when another tail shot out from Naruto's back and his body was shrouded in an even darker chakra. The bubbles hardening, covering his body like a second skin. His face was gone and in its place were three eerie white lights, two for his eyes and a jagged one for his mouth. His skin was red and his four tails swished around angrily behind him.

"Are you alright?" I asked, helping Sasuke to his feet.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked.

I looked back at Naruto, watching as my siblings struggled to inflict some sort of harm to his body but it was proving to be futile. Each of their moves was blocked by one of Naruto's tails.

"So this…this is Naruto's Jinchūriki form." I breathed, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

Sasuke didn't seem very impressed but his teeth did clench together.

"He's gonna end up killing us if we don't stop him."

"We need to make sure he doesn't pull off the original seal." I said. "That could be even worse."

Naruto pulled his head back and opened his mouth. From the air, dark pieces of chakra began to gather, forming a ball. I could sense the growing chakra, sense the coming destruction. He would wipe out an entire forest side, further damage the area we were already standing in.

"SHOW US YOUR TRUE RAGE, DEMON!" Ren shouted.

"Naruto!" I shouted. "Stop this!"

Sasuke sighed and formed hand signs, forming a Chidori.

I looked at him. "What are you going to do with that?"

"I'm going to stop him."

"You'll get yourself killed."

"It's better than standing around and doing nothing." He jumped into the air right after and tried to strike Naruto who didn't even budge, or turn. One of his tails shot up and blocked Sasuke.

"Naruto!" I shouted. "Get a hold of yourself! Stop this!"

Naruto let out a roar and tilting his head back down, he fired off his deadly ball of dark, purplish chakra that shot forward, making things explode as it pass them. It was heading straight for Rukia and Ren who scattered instantly, but the attack pushed forward, not stopping until it collided with a skeletal head. It turned it to dust, a massive explosion that shook the ground, made trees topple.

Naruto let out a roar shortly after and Rukia and Ren appeared above him, drawing swords. He swiped them away just as Sasuke fired off a fireball attack that drew his attention in our direction.

I froze. It was an empty stare, void of emotion. A tail shot toward Sasuke and he dodged it but it kept shooting forward, toward me.

"Miyuki! Move!" Sasuke snapped and I jumped up, pulling a kunai from my holster and lifting it. I sliced at it and watched as my blade cut straight through the tail.

I jumped back but knew it wasn't enough. His eyes were on us now and I knew in his mind, in the _fox's_ mind, we were enemies.

"Naruto!" I called. "Stop this!"

Another tail shot forward and I jumped up to try and avoid it but I wasn't fast enough. His tail curled around my ankle and I cried out as a fiery pain shot up my foot. He threw me to the side and Sasuke appeared, catching me just in time before I could get hurt further.

"Naruto…" I managed, wincing from the pain.

"Can you stand?" Sasuke asked as he helped me sit up.

"How can we help him?" I panted, my hand ghosting over my wounded ankle. I was afraid to look at it but I could imagine it perfectly fine. My skin red and agitated, blistering even.

Sasuke extended his hand and I watched in awe as electricity started to rattle through his arm. Then, without warning, electricity extended from his fingertips, a whole stream powerful and it ripped through Naruto's shoulder. He let out a pained roar that made my ears ring and it wasn't long until he retaliated.

He swung a tail toward us and I stood up, pushing myself in front of Sasuke and extending my arms.

"NARUTO!" I screamed. "Stop this! Stop this please!"

That was when I saw it, something blue pop out from the sea of red, a necklace of some kind with a jewel at the end of it. His eyes landed on the jewel and as he focused on it. I didn't hesitate and I shot forward, forming hand signs. His tail was at a standstill and for the most part he seemed hypnotized by the pendent around his neck, confused almost.

Sasuke was right alongside me and extended his arms, pythons bursting out from the confines of his sleeves and wrapping tightly around Naruto's arms and tails. He growled, a warning, but was still hypnotized by the pendent.

His power had only slipped out a slightly. So, really, there was nothing to seal away. But, I could get closer to him now, close enough to remind him. All that we had left was to try and remind him of who he was, of the boy underneath the red chakra.

I placed my hands on the side of his face and watched as his eyes widened and he instantly began to struggle against the pythons. Sasuke tightened his grip and my own grip grew.

"Naruto!" I said, my voice even as he struggled to wiggle away from my touch. "Listen to me! Stop this! Stop this! We don't need this power! You don't need this power!"

He let out a roar and ripped one of his arms free from the snake hold. He was bringing it back, probably to try and pry me off, when I started to cry. I wasn't sure what else to do or even what else to say. My tears fell, landing on his sizzling skin and he froze. It was as if time had stopped.

"Naruto…please…" I sniffed. "Don't do this! Don't let the Nine Tails win! You're better than this! You're stronger!"

My hands dropped from his face to his shoulders as I bent over and sobbed.

"You don't need this power! You didn't need it before and you don't need it now!" I looked at him. "Come back to us. Come back to us, Naruto."

His eyes widened even more and with another roar, this one softer, he tilted his head back and I watched as his tails disintegrated, as the fiery red skin started to pull back, painfully almost. The vicious roar became Naruto's own cry, painful cries as his tan skin appeared underneath, red as if it had been sunburned.

I smiled as I held him and once it was all gone he was gasping, panting as he dropped to his knees. I held him close to my chest, my tears falling even faster.

"That's it." I sniffed softly as I stroked the side of his face, smiling through my tears. "That's it."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **I hope you guys are liking the story so far! Please be sure to review and feedback/ways to improve would also be great!**


	14. Chapter 13: The Real Battle Begins! All

**Chapter 13: The Real Battle Begins! All in or Nothing!**

I ran my fingers through his hair, smiling softly. He was at peace now, completely spent, his breathing slow. The redness had long faded and what was left was a soundless Naruto, fast asleep in my arms. My palms felt like they were bleeding and my hands were red but it didn't matter to me. He was safe. It was over and that was part one of my problems.

"How cute." Ren called.

"Ending our fun, so quickly." Rukia said.

"You two are cowards." I said, easing Naruto's head onto the round before I rose to my feet.

"You've always been cowards."

"What was that?" Ren growled, agitated.

"You spoke about father but you're not any better." I said. "Father did what he had to because he defended everything that he loved and guess what?"

I glared at them, my hands in fists. "He loved us! He loved our family more than anything and so did mother! But you monsters can't feel love! Is that what it is?!"

They said nothing but I noted the dark edge in their stares and the stiffness in their bodies.

"You don't know the first thing about love and bonds and friendships! That's why it's so hard for you to accept it all! You said bravery was father's downfall but his love is what lead to that bravery! But, I'll tell you what's brave! I'll tell you what made all of our family brave!"

I pulled two kunai out and forced myself into an offensive stance. "What made our family brave was loving monsters as cruel and dark as you two! Two pitiful souls who walk this world terrorizing people because they have nothing better to do! That's not bravery! Senseless blood shed isn't bravery!"

Rukia scoffed. "Was that supposed to hurt us?"

"I know you are both far from feeling anything emotional!" I shouted. "But I can promise you that even if I die here, I'm not going to let you hurt my friends! I won't let you kill anyone else that I love! I'd rather die!"

"Then show us!" Ren shouted.

I ran for them just as they ran for me and I felt more myself once we clashed. I was strong. I was fast. I was a fighter. They had no power over me. They could hurt me, sure, but only if I let them. I had learned well from my sensei's teachings, even Orochimaru, and I got a bulk of my mercilessness from him.

I kicked away from Ren and met Rukia's sword with my kunai. I pushed her away only to flip onto her sword and pull her closer. She didn't like that and countered with a flip of her own that resulted in her kicking me back right in my chest. Ren fired off a string of kunai which I dodged but not before Rukia came and rammed her body into mine. I managed to pull her back with me and once she was down, I punched a fist against her arm.

She cried out, her eyes wide before she looked at me and started cackling, just as crazed as I remembered and as I knew she was possible.

"Is that-is that the best you can do?" She laughed.

I narrowed my eyes and was about to respond when I heard the cackle of electricity come from the side. I looked only to find Ren releasing several electric covered discs in my direction.

"Lightning Rat Tremor!" He shouted as he threw them.

I jumped up and off of Rukia only to find the discs swoop up to me. I fired a kunai, hitting one and watched as it exploded, but out from the dark smoke came the other discs. I growled under my breath and made hand signs.

"Water Style! Raging Waves!" I managed to make a few other discs explode but the remaining pushed through. I had landed on a branch and winced, my balance faltering because of my ankle. I was falling back and was an open target when a massive fireball destroyed the remaining discs.

I landed on my butt and looked over to the source only to find Sasuke standing in the same spot. He was panting and looked a little bit better, but he was still visibly weak. He looked at me before taking a step and I could see something behind his back, something shiny. He was gone in the next moment appearing above Ren, bringing down what looked like a sword.

My eyes widened. _Where had he gotten that from?_ It hit me a moment after when I remembered the ball of chakra that Naruto had fired. It had flown through the forest, destroying everything in its path until it hit the biggest skeletal head. The dust had been clearing but I had been sure that I had seen a glint through the smoke.

 _The sword_ , I realized with a quick breath.

He had probably sent a clone out to get it and now he wielded it as if he had always held it before. He was bringing it down and Ren reached out to block it with a kunai but I watched as it cut right through it with slightly more force on Sasuke's end. Ren was nicked in the process and he stumbled away, lifting a hand to his bleeding shoulder.

"The Sword of Kusanagi." Rukia panted. "How nice of you to find it for us."

Sasuke said nothing, but he looked at the blade in his hands, watched as it caught the light. It didn't look very impressive to me until the electricity sounded. Sasuke turned and thrust his sword clean through Ren's chest whose eyes widened in response.

"Guess what they said about it was true." Sasuke said as he watched Ren gawk down at the sword before looking back at him. "It really can cut through anything."

Rukia screamed and ran forward and I formed hand signs while my Kekkei Genkai took over. I envisioned the Sharingan and it formed in my eyes just as it appeared in Sasuke's. She was moving to strike him when I used the Chidori to block her strike. She looked down at me, enraged, while Sasuke pulled his sword out of Ren who stumbled back. He clutched at his chest, as if he was trying to keep the blood in.

"I want you to feel the same pain as me." I said.

Rukia screeched in response, pushing with her sword while I jumped to the side and Sasuke disappeared. I jumped around her and pulled out the translucent thread, jumping behind her and pulling the thread against her throat, making her breaths hitch. She gagged and I held her in place, kicking the backs of her legs so that she dropped.

"Shut up!" I growled in her ear.

Ren struggled to fight Sasuke but Sasuke managed to kick him back, landing a direct hit against his stomach. He went flying back but when he landed and he struggled to sit up just as Naruto stirred.

"The only way to hurt you the way you hurt me is to take something precious to you too." I said. "I want you to know what it really feels like to be alone."

Rukia struggled but I held the threads in one fist while I drew back a hand and formed yet another Chidori. Without hesitating I pushed it forward, my hands plunging into Rukia's chest, clean through her heart. She stopped moving, and squirming instantly and her eyes were wide as her body slid to the side. I released her a moment later, far from done as I looked at Ren who seemed unaffected.

He blinked, one hand still struggling to hold his blood in place while the other hung limply at his side.

I threw shuriken at him, shuriken wrapped with the same translucent wire and watched as they hit different points before the wires closed in on him. They wrapped around his body and he went flying back to the trunk of a tree while I formed hand signs.

"But I'd prefer you dead." I growled.

"Your misery doesn't die with us." Ren called. "It's merely the beginning."

"Then allow me to bring it all to an end! Fire Style!" I inhaled. "Fire Breath Jutsu!"

I put as much chakra as I could into the attack and exhaled a powerful stream of fire from my mouth. It rammed into the tree, swallowing it all up, singing the leaves to ash. I watched as the body in the middle wiggled around until it stopped moving entirely. I didn't stop until the tree started to fall apart and when I did I could see the body, burnt to crisps at the center.

I dropped to my knees, feeling licks of relief in my chest. It was over. Finally after all these years, it was finally over.

…

We buried Granny in a marked grave at the base of a mountain and I thought I would never be able to stop crying. I cried until nothing came out, until my chest felt raw, until my body shook and no sounds left my mouth.

I hated myself, hated myself for allowing the one thing that I had not wanted to happen, happen. I knew also that there was nothing I could have done. The more I thought back to the moment, the more I realized either way, she would have died or worse, bled out by the end of the fight. But, logic meant nothing to me. Granny was gone, like everyone else.

"Miyuki…" Naruto's voice had been soft, respectful even as he had crouched down beside me. "We have to go."

I had let him pull me away while Miroku let out one painful howl after another as we moved away. It hurt, but Naruto had had a point. We had to keep moving. We still had a mission to finish. We arrived in the Bone Village half an hour later and delivered the scroll. The man we delivered it too, an old priest, looked at Sasuke, studying the sword fastened on his back before his attention shifted back to the scroll in his hands.

We explained how we had been attacked for it, which the old man had not denied. He was grateful to have it back in the village and didn't care that it was in pieces. He bid us farewell and a safe trip back to our villages. I had clutched Miroku the whole time, had let Naruto do all the talking for fear of crying all over again if I opened my mouth. We left the Bone Village in silence, shoulder to shoulder when Naruto broke our thick silence.

"What are you gonna do with him?" he asked, nodding down toward Miroku.

I hugged him tighter. I had thought about it and knew that even though I wanted too, I didn't have time to take care of a cat, especially one like Miroku. I spent so much time out of the village, that I was sure the poor thing would die of starvation. But, I knew someone who would love to care for him and I knew Miroku would love them too.

"I know someone." I said with a small smile.

Naruto nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He looked nervous, shy almost. It was like he was walking on egg shells, trying his best not to crack them further.

I smiled at him before setting Miroku down on the ground between us. He stretched his pink legs out and yawned. I reached out and scratched the top of his head as he let out a soft purr in response.

"Good." Naruto said before glancing at Sasuke. "What's wrong?"

I looked back at him too and found Sasuke standing a few feet behind us, his hands in his pockets, his gaze empty as he took us in.

"I'm going another way." He said after a moment.

"No you're—" Naruto stopped himself shut, grinding his teeth together. He took a step back. He was thinking and I pushed myself up to my feet as I took Sasuke in.

"You don't need to go back." I said.

Sasuke said nothing, he just blinked at me.

"Come back home." I said, my lips trembling as I moved toward him.

"You don't understand." Sasuke said.

"We're not letting you go." I said, grabbing his arm while Naruto turned his gaze down, his bangs hiding his eyes.

"Miyuki…" Sasuke said, his dark eyes penetrating mine. I had a hole in my chest the size of a fist. It pained me, truly pained me to lose even him too. To imagine after everything, after everything that had happened to us that he could just turn and leave again. I had said that I had loved him and sure it hadn't felt like enough, but it had been a start.

"I'm gonna to bring you back." Naruto said.

We looked back at him.

"I'm gonna bring you back but I gave myself two years to do it, to get stronger." He finished, looking back up at Sasuke. He looked determined, his hands in fists at his sides. Sasuke blinked at him, unaffected until, his lips twitched and there was a small smirk as the corner of them.

"Hmph." He said before his eyes landed on mine again. I stared up at him, my eyes tingling at the corners. I hadn't thought that I had any tears left but I could feel them forming.

"Don't do this." I pleaded, my voice low, my shoulders beginning to tremble.

He placed both of his hands on my shoulders before he slid them up to my cheeks and as my tears started to slide out, he wiped them away with his thumbs. He stared down at me, his expression gentle.

"I have to." He said before pressing a light kiss to my lips.

I opened my mouth to speak when one of his hands slid away from my cheek and around the back of my neck. My words were lost in my throat and I remembered everything, all of our moments together. Our meeting on the bridge, our official meeting in the dango shop. The little things in between, all of our tender moments. The overwhelming relief I had felt when I had found him during the Chunin Exams, our first kiss and then our second. The complicated moments, our fights echoing in my head. It ended with my confession in our hotel room, my eyes locked on his, committing every part of his face to memory.

"Please." I pleaded, my voice as soft and low as a mouse.

"We still have time, Miyuki." Naruto said, his voice closer. "We'll bring him back."

I could feel him just behind us and Sasuke shot him a brief look before he lowered his head again, this time stopping near the outer shell of my ear.

I blushed instantly, feeling his breaths slide down my neck and back. I held him even tighter until my hands dropped altogether, until it dawned on me that no matter what, he would leave again.

"Take care of her." Sasuke said, pulling away, his eyes on me.

"What are you—"

I felt it before it happened. His hand lifting away from my neck before he brought it down. A quick, brief flash of pain before everything around me turned black and my body fell back. I didn't remember landing or hitting the ground, but I knew that they had probably planned it from the beginning. That was why Naruto had been so close.

I knew that when I came too, he'd be gone. He had knocked me out because he knew I would become hysterical, he knew I would scream and hold him until my fingers ached. He knew I would never let him go and the more I thought about it, the more I dreamed about it, the more I realized how right he had been.


	15. Epilogue

**Epilogue.**

Two years. That was what we had given ourselves. Two years to get stronger, to become better than we were and then we would go out and find him. We would bring him home.

These were the things Naruto had reminded me of even after we arrived back in my Water Village and even before he left with Jiraiya to continue his training. I had smiled softly and forced a nod, knowing that for now, this was how it had to be, that he had a point. That he was right. I had neglected my training and now I had a year and a half worth of it to make up for it all.

"How are you holding up?" Kyoske had asked one afternoon.

The boys had been on their own little mission and had been paired up with Temari who they had been "not so much enthused" to see. Hideki said that she had been quick to return the same feelings. I had told them everything that had happened in my mission, skipping over all parts that had included Sasuke and they had been sad to hear about Granny.

"Good." I said, wondering if I even really meant it. I felt numb, stuck between wanting to get up and do things and wanting to stay under the covers of my bed forever. I had managed to crawl out of bed today and had made it to the training grounds though no training had taken place.

Kyoske nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "I heard Sayuri loves Miroku."

I smiled. I figured out everyone I knew, Miroku was better in Sayuri's hands. She was kind and gentle and had come a long way under Gaara's steady tutelage. Plus, other than the Sand shinobi, she had no one else. Her whole face had lit up when I had handed him to her and while Kankuro seemed disgusted, Sayuri had insisted that he was the cutest cat she had ever seen.

"That's good." I said.

"Training?" He asked.

I shrugged.

"We've been falling off with that haven't we?" Kyoske said before chuckling. "Temari had to save us at one point."

I looked at him.

"It opened my eyes really. Here we always were, one step ahead of everyone and what now? We're putting Megumi-sensei to shame."

"But our strength is not on her." Hideki's voice interrupted, making us jump. Kyoske looked at him, agitated slightly.

"Don't sneak up on us like that you creep!" He growled.

Hideki ignored him and instead pulled an envelope out of his pocket, handing it to us.

"Wh-what is that?" Kyoske asked as I took it from Hideki to study it.

"An invitation." Hideki said.

"To what?" Kyoske asked as I opened the invitation up and pulled out the small card inside.

I read the words over carefully before my eyes widened. Kyoske peeked over my shoulder and coughed.

"No way."

Hideki smirked. "It would appear our peers have begun to surpass us."

"Is this real?" Kyoske asked, taking the card from my fingers as I looked away, completely floored.

 _Join us as we inaugurate Gaara of the Sand as the Fifth Kazekage of Sungakure._

"As real as rain." Hideki said. "I haven't told Sensei yet but the ceremony will be in a few days."

"We just saw Temari! How come she didn't say anything?" Kyoske said. "You would think that something as big as this would come up in conversation."

"Maybe if you hadn't irked her throughout our mission, she would have." Hideki said before looking at me. "Miyuki?"

I licked my lips and smiled, holding the envelope between my fingertips. Gaara. Gaara was going to be the highest power in the Sand Village and we were invited to see the ceremony. It dawned on as a person as well. He was going to be the Kazekage, the leader of Suna. I smiled. "I'm happy for him." I said.

"It's a great honor." Hideki said. "Not every day a Kage gets put into office."

I nodded, agreeing while Kyoske shook his head, looking at the small card from all angles.

"This is crazy." He muttered.

"We're going." I said. "And when we come back, we're going to go back to training."

Both boys looked at me.

"Naruto's gotten stronger too." I said. "Really strong."

Hideki nodded.

"I'm not gonna be outdone by that pipsqueak." Kyoske said. "It's bad enough that Gaara is outdoing me."

"That sounds like a fair enough deal." Hideki said. "We haven't gotten any serious training done in a quite a long time."

"No more playing around." I said, pushing myself to my feet. I thought about Sasuke and all my feelings swirling around my chest. He could push his emotions aside and keep going, so why was I letting mine hold me back?

My fight with Rukia and Ren had proved that too me. I was strong, in my own way. There had been fights where the boys had never even had to lift a finger. I remembered going against Zabuza, how confident I had been in my movements. There had been nothing holding me back then.

"Yeah." Kyoske said, smiling. "You're right."

We were the legendary orphans who had overcome Orochimaru's clutches. We had been on countless high ranking missions, had persevered through constant battles, had survived many different odds. If anyone could do anything, it was us.

I took a breath, smiling at my team. Naruto could push back his promise to bring Sasuke back. He had pushed past his true feelings, his true desires and he had come out alright, still confident in keeping his promise. Sasuke had pushed past his feelings for me and that was why he had been able to leave again. There were more important things in our lives than each other, I realized. A list of things we had to do before we could get what we really wanted, who we really wanted even. I had been stuck in the past, holding onto a version of Sasuke that had never really existed, only in my mind.

I still wasn't sure how he really felt about me, but I knew deep down inside, I couldn't think about it anymore. He didn't define me. He hadn't defined me before and I refused to give him the power now. If he could put other things before me, so could I. I would show him, I would prove to him that I could both care for him and be a better version of myself. I could move on. I wasn't stuck. I was just me. But, I was more than that too.

Because above all else, I was also an Obanji.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Check out Naruto Shippuden: Meikei! Newest Miyuki story and I hope you guys like it! Review & Subscribe!**

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